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Pink flowering vines extended the length of the sightly maiden’s arm as she held her hand out in greeting to the newcomer. “I’m Aerith.”Her voice amplified through the empty spaces among the trees surrounding the secluded meadow. It shook the leaves and branches. It traveled through the roots and reverberated beneath the ground, uprooting the flowers that shivered at her feet. Then, as if the planet itself was waiting in anticipation, everything stilled. The birds rested their melodic tune, the wind ceased its gentle caress, the sun covered itself behind a billow of clouds, and long shadows of darkness hailed the newcomer closer.Though she was no stranger to its cloaking presence, the maiden’s outstretched hand held her in such a daze, that even the comfort of her veiled shroud was no consolation in this unpracticed situation.What was her name? She must’ve had one…before. A name that used to offer light and laughter. That time before the flames birthed her anger and the darkness invited her home. She remembered mountains. The deepest reaches of her clouded mind parted and crimson eyes shone with sudden long forgotten clarity. She took the maiden’s hand. A union of gilded hope pulsed from their point of connection.“Tifa,” the newcomer responded.The planet didn’t shake with her introduction; it didn’t echo in the plants or sing amongst the clouds…but Aerith smiled like she’d been waiting for this very moment her entire life.Tifa’s eclipsed world brightened…and the cycle began.It was always destined to start the same.One who dwelled in the Underworld fell in love with one who walked up above.A myth; an embodiment of belief where the soul and the forces of nature were personified. A cyclical story of gods and misshapen divinity that existed beyond time—beyond fate. One the planet rebirthed and reinvented time and time again. A narrative of repetition that seldom ended with satisfaction.Tifa, for all her forgotten original identity, knew some illusion of this tale through the omnipresent insight of being a wight of the Underworld. It twisted at her consciousness in times of fitful unrest, and for a while, she was able to refuse its call. She was content to never embrace the mythos that would eventually face tragedy when such tragedy was what brought her to this ageless life in the first place.But older and more powerful than myth were the fates connected to them. Myths embodied the puissant draw to tell a story…but fate was inescapable. No matter how vehement one’s defiance of it was—and Tifa was defiant but even a god could not stifle the summons of their destiny for too long.Tifa held a vague recollection of the incident that rendered the Underworld her eternal home. Her mortal life was short lived and appreciable but she would never forget the fire; all-encompassing. Flames that stretched to impossible heights. The mountains surrounding her home set ablaze. A fire that burned so hot it made her skin run cold.And a man. A man with shining silver hair and a blade longer than he was tall. He stood wreathed within the heated inferno, slit cat-like eyes flecked with cyan sparks eager for more than the kindling he wrought.The smoke scorched her lungs, turning them to ash, as creeping embers gathered at her feet. They crawled up her legs and seeped through her skin with the speed of a struck match. And in the middle of a blazing village, consumed by her anger, she was reborn below.To this day the intensity of the fire’s warmth has stayed with her, intimately burning her body so profoundly she’d forgotten what actual warmth felt like.Time in the interim of the Underworld grew hazy. An undefined lapse in her afterlife where its dreamlike darkness became her solace and the incessant wails of agony from the dead made for an instrument to record time passed until new consciousness came to her again. Then emerged the time where she hailed over it all. So it was only fitting that after so long with nothing else of note in her life, that the cadenced tug of myth disguised as ennui within Tifa suddenly begged the woman for generated adventure after a millennia of monotony. And she listened.Her first mistake.The world above. Her original home.It was unfamiliar in her travels yet Tifa was privy of the planet and its tricks. She knew the causes of misfortune and misery of every soul that passed her realm. Life on the surface avoided her but she still found prosperity in its deepest caves and fathomless waters. The light seemed to expose her flaws and brought forth emotion she’d forgotten how to manipulate so the world attempted to shy away from the perpetual shadow she generated. The sun would shade its rays above a thick canopy of trees as a cover of clouds followed her every step at a distance.Then a ghost on the wind called to her, guiding her across the world, past its many hidden beauties and secrets. She enabled its guidance to whet her curiosity, positive that this myth would play out and she would see it to its end. Because to know what to expect is a semblance of protection from the sting of its inevitable sorrow. And that buffer of an upheld constitution was her only reassurance that tragedy wouldn’t break her.Her second mistake.There was a break in the path. A small wasteland led to paradise for those with the endurance to brave it. At the end of it, trees and flowers grew to dizzying heights. Their vibrancy of color muted the broken city it consumed. But more eye-catching than the planet’s gifts was the one tending to them all.Some people say the planet retook Midgar.Any god worth their salt knows it was the work of one deity—the conduit of nature. A beautiful creature beyond base mortality, able to sustain life through the growth and care of all plants.And suddenly Tifa realized whose voice it was she had been following. A bewitching siren’s call to follow to a promised land. Forwent her long drawn out defiance the moment she stepped foot in this place. The splendor, the majesty—she took in as much as she could in the span of a single deep breath.The lifeblood of the planet floated around the goddess like translucent wisps of iridescent shimmers as she knelt to gather the flowers at her feet. Tifa’s voice took a second to remember how to generate speech in the realm of living. The dead didn't speak to anyone so for as long as she dwelled in the Underworld, basic communication held no court with her.“Is this your garden?” she asked in the common tongue, voice raspy and hoarse with disuse. The curiosity for this entity of the world above was too much. It made her long for a simpler time of being surrounded by the grandeur of forgotten mountains.Her third mistake.Brown tresses spun with gold glittered in the sunlight as the goddess’ hair whirled in a wide arc when turning to face Tifa. The clouds parted and shone a spotlight directly on pale smooth skin. Soft cheeks flushed as red as the blossoms surrounding her. The green fields in the space grew at attention, mimicking the gentle sway of her dress. The stems of the flowers bent in tandem with her brilliant smile. The branches of the trees rustled in every direction, like a thousand eyes taking in every luster of the world at once.Tifa answered to no one in the Underworld but was struck with the abrupt thought that she would propitiate every aspect of her shadowed life if it meant sanctuary within this maiden’s gaze. Spring was eternal here and she longed for its touch.“It used to be my mother’s but I care for it,” the maiden answers. Her gaze swept over Tifa, gauging her reaction as she spoke in an ancient language. It was a language lost to time and only used by the oldest of gods. It allowed her voice to echo in the flowers and in the wet earth deep underground. It regenerated the fallen leaves on the ground as a sudden breeze swept them up and playfully animated them.It took a moment for Tifa to remember the antiquated speech pattern. “All the time?”The goddess shrugged and reached for a sleeping bud. It extended itself to her hand, blooming to full maturity in an instant. She caressed its pale yellow petals, coaxing it taller until it reached as high as her knee.“As long as I’m here.”The goddess had switched back to the common tongue, frustrating Tifa. She frowned, wondering what this woman’s game was. “Where else would you go?”The maiden smiled like she knew of a future Tifa could only dream of. A knowing twinkle in her eye sparked something old and forgotten that drove her dead beating heart up. Tifa watched as she extended a hand toward her.A greeting. An invitation. A promise.“I’m Aerith.”Tifa was spellbound.An unabating surge of curiosity compelled her to follow whatever magic Aerith possessed that kept the entire planet at her beck. Birds tracked her movement from above then dove to perch nearby to catch a glimpse of the traveling goddess. Tifa envied them. The ground itself seemed to lift up to support every step she took, never truly allowing her to touch the ground as a mortal would. Tifa wanted to do that for Aerith.They’re guided past a boundary where a waterfall hummed a melody so loving, Tifa swore she’d heard it before in a far flung memory lost in the millennia. Back when Tifa was a child and the sting of death hadn’t brushed its tendrils her way yet. As if reading her mind, Aerith took her hand and ran it under the falling water. It fell through the spaces between her fingers like falling sand, then joined together at the crystalline pool below. The melody grew stronger. A vision of a woman with hair like Tifa flitted across her mind’s eye.“There’s memory in water,” Aerith started. “It flows endlessly, holding every detail of the past in its reflection.”“It’s beautiful,” Tifa said transfixed. Her face inched closer to the water until gently coerced away by Aerith’s firm grip on her shoulder.“It’s dangerous. It only calls those it knows it can drown.“Tifa considered the Underworld and its endless rivers of souls and how these waters on the planet connected back to them. “It’s been a while since I’ve lived on the surface. There’s probably a lot I’ve grown ignorant of.”Aerith opened her arms. “Then I welcome you back to your home, Tifa.”If longing was nothing more than an ocean of melancholic desire then Tifa was content to bathe on its shores forever. Never had she heard her name uttered with more candor. It was as if the surrounding bushes themselves repeated it with the echoing chorus of a hundred voices while the trees conducted its symphony. The grass swayed to and fro like the bow of a string instrument as the flower’s petals buzzed with a bassy tenor. The fauna in this place was alight with melodic synchronicity.“Did you do that?” Tifa asked with desperate need. Aerith shook her head with a gentle smile and Tifa wanted nothing more than to take her home and introduce the darkness to her splendor. She would know every detail of this woman.“You did.”She asked how. “I saw the plants angle to your regard and followed them here only to find spring itself bend to your whim. I heard your voice in them.”“The spring does not follow me. I do nothing to control it. I care for it. I tend to its needs. I listen to the planet speak through its gifts and respond to how I interpret it.” She smiled wider as she finished and Tifa’s steps fell short.A beam of light from the sun fell on the goddess and illuminated her face with an ethereal glow. All at once the souls of the dead spoke through the ground and reached Tifa’s ears, gifting her greater clarity. It was suddenly easy to imagine a life with Aerith. It was as if they’d known each other free of the confines of eternity.Tifa inexplicably knew how Aerith’s hair fell when she turned her face in the direction of an easterly breeze. How her hands moved when she spoke. She knew the way her nose would crinkle when smelling something sweet. She knew of the melancholy in the other woman's eyes that yearned for a different life. She knew exactly how Aerith looked against a backdrop of a rainy midmorning day or the moment when the sun touched the horizon and painted the sky in a myriad of colors that did nothing but complement Aerith’s radiance.Tifa was in love.Deeper than love…and it was so much. She lost herself in it; felt the gravity of all Aerith gave her and everything she kept from Aerith. The world was hers and hers alone to cultivate and Tifa felt that sickening feeling that leaving her would ruin everything. Because Tifa saw the world in Aerith. She saw the world for what it could’ve been, for what it truly was, and what it used to be. Tifa was in love with this woman and this woman became her world when all she used to have was what lay in its depths.
What became of someone who had everything? What became of their heart?
For a while, it was fascinating—living as she once did before mortality cost her the chance at a normal lived life away from the designs of fate. The surface had abundance and Aerith showed it all to her.“Do you love me?” Aerith asked one day using the Anceint’s language.Although the use of Aerith’s ancestral language baited a mortal to truth, that was not the case with the gods. It was their original language. Only they were able to twist true words to false ends, catching a gullible listener in a labyrinth of poetics, each of which reflected honesty and none of which led anywhere. Tifa had little use for it because while the dead do not speak, they do lie. An endless bargain of lies for a chance back at life. Tifa explicitly learned to understand lies.Tifa did not know how to convince Aerith that her world turned only for her. There was no iterative of spoken word to how far that kind of love would reach. But she still contemplated. While the answer was easy, Tifa suspected that wasn’t Aerith’s purpose for asking.It wasn’t love. It was more profound. It was as if Aerith held the whole of existence in her arms. Life, death, and the bits in between. The burden was off Tifa for the briefest moment, allowing a taste of what kind of life could be offered to her—fulfilling a lost dream of a second chance at mortality.She embodied everything Tifa knew and didn’t. Aerith was the world.She opened her mouth to answer when a sudden pain in her abdomen lanced through her. “I’m…hungry.” It’s a cry—a desperate plea. A churning in her stomach that refused to subside. A truth.It wasn’t food, ambrosia, or wine she needed. It was death, the mourning of all the life she’d experienced. Her domain called to her. The spectral hands of the dead ripped through the ground and grasped at her ankles, intent to bring their ruler back. The dead hungered for their keeper and she alone could satiate herself off their existence. She knew at that moment she had no other option but to go back.Aerith must have read the situation quickly because in the next second, she boldly took Tifa by the waist and pulled her in close. The perpetual swirl of lifestream energies struck out against the ghostly limbs, dissipating them, leaving the two women alone in the middle of the bountiful land.“Let me help alleviate your pain,” she whispered to Tifa.In a second, there were quite a few things for Tifa to take in. A warmth—a warmth that left a stinging sensation spreading outward from her chest to her fingertips, like she had inhaled a thick cloud of steam. An invisible hand seemed to clench over both her erratically beating heart and winded lungs when Aerith impatiently landed their mouths together. Then she angled her head just the right way and her teeth gently nipped Tifa’s earlobe, making her gasp. A soft weak shivering sound escaped her mouth, thrumming deep in her chest.“I love you.”Tifa wasn’t sure who voiced the confession. Her focus faded in bliss when Aerith’s hands seemed to be everywhere at once. Cheeks were flushed pink, lips glistening and parted. Her eyes filled with candescent light and her blood burned as a rapturous tremble rushed through her. It began at her toes and vibrated up her legs, gathering at her center in an explosion of stars.“Come home with me,” Tifa proposed, breathless and wanting. It was laced with an edge of panic with the things Tifa would miss in the world above if she went back alone.Aerith readily agreed.Her first mistake.Tifa brought Aerith down to the Underworld; the antithesis of everything the goddess of given life represented. An expounding city of death and shadow became her new home. A domain of suffocations for all but one.“I love you,” Tifa would concede on the days that seemed darker than most.Aerith never answered her confession in the realm of the dead. Instead, there grew a deep set bounty of pain in her green eyes, fed by her blood and rooted through her veins that weren’t able to touch the sun—answer enough for Tifa.She almost convinced herself that she was glad for Aerith’s unintentioned coldness because it made the rare gestures of affection all the more special when they did come. But as the days went on, she realized that forcing joy to exist where anger reigned would do nothing but seed resentment in a place that boasted no means of sustained growth.It’s maybe why it hurt so much more when it all eventually broke apart…as fate would have it.Aerith became a ghost among ghosts. Her steps failed to brighten the halls. Her voice never sang the sun to life. Her eyes no longer shined as they once did. Tifa even noticed the tendrils of the lifestream manifested stronger around the other woman down here. As if their very presence was the only thing keeping the goddess alive.The Underworld had dimmed Aerith of her unyielding light. She grew weak, her skin sallowed. The vibrancy she once brought to the surface, suffocated. Still, her smile remained.Tifa went to her love when the sight of it caused her more agony than relief. She delicately took Aerith’s hand and pressed a sweet kiss on wrinkled knuckles.“Help me alleviate your pain,” she whispered to Aerith.It wasn’t like that first time. It felt wrong for a moment. Like having Aerith in this last instance—in this way, was wrong. Aerith belonged in a field of gently swaying wildflowers or under a moonlit sky where the stars fell like tears into the oceans. Someplace warm, beautiful, and free from the paltry existence of Tifa’s desire for her.But then Aerith looked at her like she was where she exactly wanted to be and Tifa couldn’t help but give in.She helped bring the other woman to the brink; Aerith’s entire body tensed in anticipation of something wonderful, and Tifa knew only a little more would push her over the edge. There were so many hands on her body and breaths in her ear that one could hardly keep track of all that happened to her. The sun and the moon and the stars paled in comparison to the garden of life flashing behind her eyes. She would succumb to Tifa and all they cultivated.And it was only a moment before she was gone. Needy whimpers escalated to a pleasure-filled cry when pure bliss rushed through her body, igniting the dying life within her. Aerith threw her flushed face back, hips shaking, voice quavering, basking in the feeling gifted to her. She babbled out incoherent confessions of love that Tifa feared the other woman would repeat forever if she stayed. It was the final push to make up her mind.They said goodbye.“Come with me,” Aerith pleaded. She held Tifa’s pliant hands in her own. The stark contrast of its frailness and gray coloration made Tifa’s heart ache. Her face, lost of all its vibrancy and warm tone was hard to look at. Eyes, unfocused and clouded over, no longer glowed with that knowing sparkle. “Please. Come with me. You’ll get used to the world above.”She hesitated. The fates can twist intentions. This was something known to all. “I never grew used to the air up there. It gusts senselessly whichever way it pleases. I guess you probably prefer it to the stillness of the air here. It’s not something I want to experience again…”Tifa knew what would happen without control over her domain. With nothing to satiate her but Aerith’s light, knowing it would never be enough. The call of the Underworld remained too relentless a force to ignore, even in a place so bright that suggested darkness could never touch her again.She lied, “I promise to visit you always.”“Me too.”Tifa understood lies.It turned cold once Aerith left with a promise to return. A promise Tifa knew she could not keep, else death would have them truly remain together forever. Still, it pained her to think of her forfeit love. A love so great she feared losing it. A wicked envy emerged from that fear; its existence justified in the depths of the Underworld. Unable to bear the image of Aerith backdropped against a clear sky, brilliant smile on her face, she tried to expel her from her mind.But Aerith was already gone and Tifa was lost to her. So she locked her love away in her chest.The era of their blissful youth ended and in its place built a new era where all the animosity and jealousy and anger of the world that got to have Aerith in its eternity, shrouded the very Underworld that smothered her love. That time when they met, a distant memory—when Tifa had nothing to lose and then lost her entire world.Aerith deserved life. In any lifetime—in all lifetimes, but it was Tifa’s fate to live without her. A sorrow that repeated itself for ages to come. That of radiant love and its inevitable end.

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After a long fruitless morning of intel gathering with Cloud and stocking up on supplies from a price-gouging shopkeeper, Tifa is due for a calm afternoon. The cute cafe she passes at the end of the street begs for a relaxing date with Aerith so she eagerly quickens her pace. Unfortunately, all thoughts of an uneventful day fly from her head as she takes a single step through the threshold of their room at the inn.Aerith is sprawled out on the floor of their room, artificially posed to look like a dead body. The sight before her is more confusing than it is alarming…which is an embarrassing testament to the hijinks Tifa has endured throughout this journey. Before she can react, Aerith peaks one eye open and pulls her cheeks in to temper her grin.Tifa gives her a questioning look. “I’m afraid to ask…”“The kids,” Aerith gutters out dramatically, “they ambushed me.” She uses her eyes to silently signal toward the corner of the room.Even without Aerith’s warning, Tifa’s ears pick up shuffling from behind the sofa in the corner long before a loud warcry rings out. Red XIII and Yuffie both spring out from cover and lunge in her direction. With little effort, she expertly dodges them both, and the duo crashes in a heap on the floor next to Aerith.Done with her part, Aerith happily hops up off the ground and dusts her dress off. “Sorry guys. Maybe you’ll get her next time.” She sends a conspiratory wink to Tifa who conceals a laugh with a swift cough.Nothing around the room strikes out to Tifa as out of place. “Anyone mind telling me what you’re up to?”Aerith opens her mouth to respond but is cut off by Yuffie. “No! No! We can’t trust her.”Tifa raises an eyebrow. “Trust me with what?” Yuffie pushes something behind her back, glaring at the older woman as she shuffles closer to Red XIII to hand off whatever contraband she has. “Show me what’s behind your back.”Yuffie sits frozen. It’s not often Tifa’s stern tone is directed at her. The goods still weigh heavy in her hand and Red doesn’t budge an inch to grab it. She glances at him dumbfounded but he refuses to meet her eyes—his betrayal apparent. A petulant sigh escapes as she holds out the contraband for Tifa. “You can have one,” she says. “I could hear your stomach from across the room.”Tifa is offered a comically large bag shaped like the head of a moogle filled to the brim with sweet confections and hard candies. A majority of them hilariously look like small materia.“Not those,” Yuffie hastily adds. “I’m saving them…for stuff”Tifa stares in awe at the bag, almost dropping it due to its unexpected weight. “Where did you get this? Why do you have this?” She hesitates to ask more, weighing the possibility of how much further into this obvious case of theft she wants to involve herself in. “Yuffie…”The younger girl glowers in her direction before complaining to Aerith. “I told you she’d be no fun!”“Don’t say that. Tifa’s plenty fun!” Aerith grabs Tifa’s hand to drag her close. Her arm encircles her waist as she steals a sweet from the bag, popping it in her mouth followed by a flirtatious wink. “Right, Tifa?”A stuttering heart slows her from answering, desperately ignoring the searing heat of Aerith’s arm wrapped around her. She centers herself. One thing at a time… “Okay, where did you even find the gil for all this?” A suspicious silence falls over the room. Tifa narrows her eyes. “Yuffie.”The girl crumbles. Her hands raise in a show of surrender. “I was told samples were free! How else am I supposed to know what tastes good?”“Hey! Open up!” A gruff voice calling out from the other side of the door immediately grabs everyone’s attention. A series of aggressive knocks follows right after.A scared look crosses Yuffie's face and within a split second, she dives back to her hiding spot behind the couch. Red, on the other hand, is frozen to his spot on the floor, purposefully turning his back to the door.Aerith, quick on her feet, pushes Tifa to the couch and promptly sits on her lap.“What are you—?” Tifa sputters.Aerith places a finger over Tifa’s lips to shush her. “Just play along.” She grabs the bag out of Tifa’s hand and tosses it under a pillow. A mischievous smile spreads across her face. “For me?”Dumbfounded, Tifa nods, following Aerith’s lead.“Where’s Yuffie?” The door slams open and Barret stomps inside. His gun arm held aloft in a threatening show of challenge. He carefully scans the room stopping on Tifa and Aerith. The former sighs and attempts to gesture that she's not involved. Though it’s tough to hide the barely veiled disgruntlement on her face. She catches Red XIII out of the corner of her eye doing his best impression of a statue, seemingly doing away with his presence as a living breathing individual.Barret narrows his eyes at Aerith who bears a cloyingly innocent smile, her arms wrap snugly around Tifa’s shoulders. He awkwardly clears his throat and lowers his arm. “Have any of you seen Yuffie?”“So sorry Barret, my dearest friend,” Aerith says in a singsong voice. She makes a show of snuggling up closer to Tifa, pressing the sides of their faces together. “I haven’t seen or heard Yuffie all day. Must be somewhere else. Maybe try the weapon shop?”Biting the inside of her cheek, Tifa isn’t sure how the strange inflection makes anything Aerith says sound convincing at all but Barret scratches his head seemingly believing her. He juts a thumb toward the door. “Cloud said she hasn’t left the room in a while. Unless he’s pulling one over me,” he grumbles unsurely. “Hmm…thought she’d be here.”“Well, there’s your problem! Cloud is definitely in on it! Maybe he’s hiding her. And if he’s not then someone should help him to the clinic and get checked out because he’s been out all morning with Tifa,” Aerith quips. “Wasn’t he complaining about the sand in his eyes yesterday? Maybe the heat’s getting to him. Right, Tifa?”Her traitorous heart picks up double time. “P—probably.” She feels the upturn of Aerith’s cheek against hers, as evidence of the sweet inculpable smile she’s sure the other woman is sporting.A tiny squeal erupts from Aerith as she bends her head slightly and rewards Tifa a chaste kiss that momentarily takes her breath. “Anyway Barret I’m sorry we couldn’t help you. But we're in the middle of girl stuff…so leave, please. We will definitely find you if we spot Yuffie.”Aerith and Barret have a dramatic stare down for a tense moment. Tifa is sure she watches his gun arm twitch but inevitably gives up first. He curses lowly and turns to leave, his hand grasping the door handle before he stops. “Now wait a damn minute! What do you mean girl stuff? Why the hell can Red stay?”“You can’t just ask what girl stuff is. It’s private. Think of your daughter. And Red is our…bodyguard,” Aerith starts to falter. “An honorary girl.”Red suddenly remembers he can move and sits up a bit more resolutely and puffs his chest out but still avoids Barret’s gaze. He gives a halfhearted snarl that sounds more wimpy than menacing.Aerith attempts to hold her ignorant demeanor but Tifa can feel the straightening of her arms as they tighten around her shoulders. Barrett looks between them then rubs the back of his head in defeat. “Okay, but let me know when you find that kid? I need her for some stuff.”Aerith tuts. “You know we can’t guarantee—,”“She’s hiding behind the sofa.” Tifa buries her face in Aerith’s neck.“Tifa!”“Haha, thanks Teef.” Barret hobbles over to them and lightly kicks the sofa. The cushions squeal and out pops Yuffie. “Let’s go girl.” He leads her out by the scruff of her neck. “It’s time to learn about consequences.”“You can’t prove I did anything!” Yuffie attempts to wiggle out of Barrett’s strong grip with little success. She jams her arms and legs in the doorway. A tense battle for leverage ensues, neither side gaining any ground over the other.“I’m sorry!” Yuffie attempts to bargain. “I’ll bring it back!”“Sorry isn’t going to help when the damage is already done. You’re facing the consequences, end of story. Let go of the damn door frame!”“Hold on, wait! What about Red? He was in on it! He was the distraction!”Barret looks back at their crimson-furred companion. “You too, Red!” Red XIII shamefully follows them once Yuffie is successfully pried off the walls. “Tired of dealing with unruly children,” he murmurs. “My Marlene would never...”The door closes with a heavy thud and Aerith releases a sigh of relief. All the tension in her body loosens and she falls fully against Tifa. “Thank you for that. I don’t know how to say no to Yuffie.”“I figured. But I was more afraid we’d get roped into a stunt and we wouldn’t be able to escape. I’ve seen Barret on a rampage before.” Tifa shivers. “I did not want to be caught in the middle of it.” She rubs Aerith’s back soothingly. “You shouldn’t indulge them so much.”“They’re still kids.” She shrugs. “Yuffie and Red have been through a lot. More than we probably know. They should be able to experience a bit of worldly mischief every once in a while.”“Worldly mischief… You mean stealing.”She waves her hand dismissively. “We’ll work on it.” Aerith slides off Tifa’s lap and grabs her hand. “Come on, let's go see what their punishment is!”“But,” Tifa starts, still thinking of the cute cafe from earlier, “I’m…hungry.”They take their time walking through the town. The afternoon sun is high in the sky and bright enough that Tifa bitterly squints against it. “The glare…”Aerith lifts her hand in front of Tifa’s eyes to help block the sun. “Gotta get you a sun hat,” she jokes.A few children run past them screaming and holding an odd-shaped ball in their hands, almost knocking the two of them down as a second group of kids chases them down the street. Aerith watches them pass with a melancholic stare.“I know we have unknown darkness looming at the end of all this but…it’s easy to forget in towns like this where everything is…”“Peaceful?”“Ignorant.”The harsh word choice doesn’t shock her. Tifa knows how much Aerith has been through at the hands of Shinra and their machinations to get to this point—same as her. “I know what you mean. Being here…it’s like the plate never fell. Like the things of our past don’t matter.”“I don’t know if I’ve ever truly known peace.” Aerith shakes her head as if dismissing a memory then frowns slightly. “There’s been happiness, of course. I love my mom and I loved the life she gave me…but there was always that background threat of Shinra—the Turks, Professor Hojo. They could’ve changed their mind at any point and taken me back to that place and used me for their experiments in the same way that killed my mother.” She pauses. “It’s funny how quickly fate can change the path you think you’re on.”Tifa squeezes her hand to tell her she hears her—that she’s here. Aerith squeezes back and bumps their shoulders together.“I can’t speak on where your life has taken you but I know I’ve let my anger rule a lot of decisions in mine. Anger that came from losing everything and having to build it back up. I had to learn to control it.” She thinks of her teaching. “The anger gets in over your head and it can allow fear to act up. Then you feel like you’ve lost so much of the love that used to shape you that nothing outside what you're feeling seems possible anymore. Existing absent of love is dangerous. I’ve lived too much of my life that way but then—,” Tifa swallows her words as if realizing what she is about to say.Aerith looks at her curiously. “But then?”Tifa looks into her eyes and loses herself in their genuine sincerity and the words come easy. “But then I met you.”Aerith's eyes widen ever so slightly, understanding the underlying meaning. She wets her lips. “Tifa, I—,”“Absolutely not!”Both women look over in the direction of the outburst to see Barret and Red XIII arguing in front of an extravagant-looking candy shop. A Yuffie-sized cactuar next to them enthusiastically passes out flyers to people on the street.Barret holds his ground. The vibrant frog costume in his hand sways lightly in the breeze.“Dogs don’t wear clothes!” Red exasperates.Barret yells triumphantly. “So you admit you're a dog!”“I’m not!”“You don’t wear this then you’re paying the shop back.”In solidarity with their teammate, no one ever mentions what a cute frog Red becomes.It’s slow at first. A few people even cross the street to avoid the mascot duo. Yuffie attempts to chase a few of them down but Barret stops her before she can make any headway. He settles on a bench next to Tifa and Aerith after that, taking out his phone to call Marlene and grumbling about needing a break from rowdy kids.The lunch crowd is not yet out on the street so Yuffie and Red start to put together an acrobatic routine that successfully brings a small crowd of curious vacationers. They quickly rope Aerith into their performance who takes her role of adding a magical flair with an eager commitment.“We’re not doing that!” Tifa yells at the group at one point after overhearing Yuffie suggest Aerith unleash her most powerful spells for a cooler spectacle. “What are you? Children?”“I’m four,” a clear voice says in Tifa’s ear.“Oh, not you Marlene.” Tifa focuses back on the child on the other end of the phone. “I’m talking to—,” she sighs heavily. “I think I understand your dad a lot more now.”“Marlene!” Aerith hangs over her shoulder and yells. “Tell Tifa she should join in the fun. Do some flips or something.”“Huh?” Marlene's voice crackles through the phone.Tifa swats her off and walks away from the chaos to get the phone out of earshot. “Don’t worry about them. Your dad said you were helping Mrs. Gainsborough in the garden?”Marlene then goes on a rant excitedly retelling her adventures of the week. By the time Tifa is done talking to the girl the trio just finishes up their latest show. Aerith runs up to her, a huge smile on her face, proudly waiting for her evaluation. Tifa bites her lip to stave off commenting on how adorable she looks.“You smell like a wet dog,” is her first assessment.Someone clears their throat next to them. “Ahem.”“Oh, you’re more than a dog, Red!” Aerith reassures their friend. “Tifa’s just trying to be coy with me.”“At least the shop owner was nice,” Yuffie says as she joins them, her hair soaked with sweat, free of the mascot suit. “He didn’t even care that we stole from him.”Red shakes his body. Bits of green fluff fly off his fur and catch the wind. “Said it was the most excitement he had in a while.”“Right, he even praised us for our work. Apparently, we got more customers today than he’s ever had.”“Well, I’m glad you guys could help him out at least,” Tifa says.“Yeah, and he gave me a huge bag of sweets to have as a reward.” She pulls out an identical-looking moogle head bag full of candy and starts shoveling them in her mouth.“Wasn’t that what got you in this mess in the first place?” Tifa deadpans.Tifa and Aerith return to their room at the inn after a long and chaotic afternoon of shenanigans.Aerith gently closes the door behind them, rests her head against it for a second then whirls around. “We should talk.”Tifa stands stiltedly in the middle of the room. “About?”“About what you said earlier.”“What did I say earlier?”Her evasiveness earns a pout from Aerith. She takes measured steps toward Tifa as if weighing what she wants to do. Then reaches her hands up and cups her face in them. Green eyes bare into crimson with a gaze of unwavering determination. “What are you gonna do when I’m gone?”Not expecting the question, Tifa tries to pull back reflexively but the other woman’s hands are locked in. “What do you mean?”Aerith releases her hands and looks at Tifa with a serious expression. “Now, I’m okay with you finding someone new.”“Aerith…”“I just think it'd be nice if you waited a little before moving on. I know you’re a catch—believe me, I know—but I’d want to be mourned,” she frowns. “At least for a little while. Is that selfish?”“Aerith. Stop.”“We had such a fun day,” she continues as if not hearing Tifa. “I don’t want you or anyone to lose sight of these moments. When I’m gone it’ll be hard and it’ll only get harder for you all…but please, promise me, you can’t lose sight of moments like this.”Tifa grabs Aerith’s biceps. “What do you mean when? Why are you saying all this like we’ve already lost you?”Aerith’s eyes unfocus like she’s looking at a multitude of lifetimes away from the present. “Tifa, don’t fall in—,” she cuts herself off. She closes her eyes briefly as if it pains her to finish the sentence. “You won’t forget me will you?”The whiplash of their conversation makes it hard for Tifa to keep a straight face. “How could I ever forget about you?”“You could. Someday soon when I’m gone from the planet and one with the lifestream.”“Stop saying when. Nothing is happening to you.”Aerith shakes her head. “It’s important we talk about this stuff. We don’t have much time left.”Tifa winces against a sudden unbearable ringing in her ears but it fades as quickly as it comes. “What are you talking about?”“You’ll wake up soon enough,” she whispers.“Aerith.” Tifa leans close enough to make her intention clear and words heard. “No one is asleep. No one is forgetting anyone. You’re not going anywhere.”They lock eyes for a long moment, then Aerith’s gaze drops to fixate on Tifa’s lips. “You’re right...” She looks back up and smiles genially, all traces of trepidation gone. “You’re right. We should enjoy this.”Tifa tenderly takes Aerith by the waist and pulls her flush against her. “We should. And yeah, I guess you do have a point. This journey we’re on is dangerous and we should talk about these things but…not right now. Is that okay?”Aerith smirks keenly and slowly starts leaning in. “If you don’t want to talk then I guess you have other plans for me?”“Would it be so bad?”The sound of the door opening halts their activity. Heads turn to find Cloud standing uncomfortably at the half-opened door. Face red, realizing what he’s walked into. They all stare at each other for a strained minute. Tifa’s grip on Aerith’s waist tightens slightly and Aerith has to stifle a laugh.He clears his throat. “Since you guys didn’t say you had other plans it’s your turn to pick dinner.” Cloud’s announcement falls stiffly as he drops his head in barely veiled embarrassment.“Cloud!” Tifa groans with frustration as her childhood leaves without any more prompt. “So much for a romantic end to our day.”Aerith is unable to hold back her laughter this time. “I think it falls perfectly with the kind of day we’ve had.”“You mean low effort, completely dictated by other people's shenanigans, and not having any peace for ourselves?”“Yeah! Isn’t that what all romantic dates should be like?”“Babysitting and menial labor?”Aerith circles her arms around Tifa’s neck. “Spending quality time with those you love dearly and ending with a kiss.”Tifa hums contemplative. “I don’t think I remember any kissing.”“Easily fixed.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As the account goes, Tifa's great-grandmother was a practicing Fire Sage at the High Temple, located right in the heart of the Fire Nation’s capital. She loved her nation and was proud to serve as a part of its sacred authority but she was not blind to the sinister shadows that sat at the head of the absolute monarchy. The late Fire Lord’s fervid rhetoric and idyllic dream to expand the empire towards a brighter future did not sit right with many once it became clear what kind of brighter future would come to pass. The sages, once held in high esteem, slowly but surely became little more than aging remnants of a time when spirituality was placed before military might.Fearing the repercussions of this new regime, Tifa’s great-grandmother did what any self-respecting Fire Sage would do: quietly abandon her entire life and flee the capital with as many trusted companions still loyal to serving the Avatar and upholding their core beliefs as she knew.Armed with nothing but a boat and their ideals, a small group of like-minded individuals traveled as far east as they could, intent on finding salvation in the Earth Kingdom. But before leaving the waters of the Fire Nation, they were discovered and thus chased after for their desertion. Unsure if they would reliably find refuge in the Earth Kingdom without inquisition, the fleeing sages had no choice but to double back in an attempt to lose their hunters knowing they could never outrun them. Eventually, they found shelter after making the unpredictable decision of landing on the south end of a mainly uninhabited island in the Eastern Fire Islands.Concealed by plentiful cliffs, valleys, and smatterings of dense bamboo forests, the displaced group stayed on the island for what was supposed to be a temporary hideaway in the hopes of setting off again for the Earth Kingdom once any inherent danger was off their tail.The Fire Lord would eventually all but renounce the appointment of the Avatar and set forth a decree that anyone who still held sympathy for them would be considered a traitor to the Fire Nation and dealt with accordingly. Suddenly the outside world became even more dangerous for the group of exiled sages and Avatar loyalists. So they began to make the most of their new home. Temporary turned into permanent and a village hidden within their homeland settled its roots. What started as a way station for runaway clergy members was now a refuge for those brave enough to oppose their home.As the years went on they hid for their own safety; rarely impacting the ongoing world around them, lest they be discovered. A community developed. Friendships blossomed. Families began. Ideals were forged. And it was here during a blissful summer, far from the years of the village’s secret beginnings, hidden amongst towering cliffs and thick groves of bamboo, that a clandestine meeting occurred.Two souls, sparkling and bright, giddy with the admission of a prudently cultivated love finally expressed. The conclusion of a saga years in the making, completing a waltz around a contemptuous bond between duty and heartfelt want. A kaleidoscope of sunbeams shined across smitten faces in tender anticipation. Eyes met—crimson and green; reflecting affectionate warmth, unburdened by the strife of an outside world at war.Fluttered lashes. Grasped hands. The barest whispered words. Tethered by shared emotion, they leaned into one another, open to exploring their worth in each other again and again. Certain that nothing could change them when a love declared was this satisfying.But like the cyclical nature of the universe, at the very end of a blissful summer and the cusp of autumn’s approach, in a village kept a secret from the rest of the world, Tifa finds out her father has died.There was no easy way to go about the death of family. Especially one whose bond had waned significantly over the years in lieu of obligation. It started a domino effect in Tifa’s life and the overnight shift of responsibility made her head spin. From getting the news and prepping for the funeral, every single instance in between left Tifa both wholly unprepared and ready to step up in the ways she’d been nurtured for her entire life.The day of her father’s funeral also became the official day of her inauguration as High Sage of her village. A title that came with as much responsibility as the name suggested. She was now the village’s enforcer, its wisdom, caretaker, guardian—whatever it was she needed to be. The decisions she would make from now on would impact not only her but everyone she’d grown up around, those close in age and not. The people would now look to her for guidance on all matters and this funeral was the start of that.Her first official delegation—morbid as it was.They held it on a humid day early in the fall through no intention of her own but it ended up not mattering when the villagers politely campaigned for the chance to honor their late leader. It was easy to yield in favor of not having any sort of ceremony for herself. Tifa withheld any show of distaste for the funeral out of respect for those who saw her father as impeccant. It was their closure. Not hers. Closure for Tifa wouldn’t come when anger barred its way so innately.The funeral was all the pomp and circumstance befitting her father’s years of galant respect and honor he cultivated during his time...but it also held all the subdued grandeur she suspected he would’ve hated to be witness to. The villagers, all dressed in white robes, as per tradition, carrying banners amateurishly strewn together, while still evoking a faithful sentiment. They marched in a funeral procession to a beach on the other side of the island to avoid unwelcome attention.A few words were said, people cried, and Tifa lit the funeral pyre, suppressing its flames as best she could while still keeping it alight and burning. The nature of their secrecy made it a quick ceremony but Tifa remained on the beach until the pyre’s embers were left smoldering in the sand. She took all the villagers' condolences and well wishes in stride despite how much she’d heard them over the last couple days. So by the time the setting sun dipped below the horizon and everyone had made their way back home, she was thankful for the quiet respite that followed.The glowing moonlight reflected off the shallow waves at her feet and danced across the soft sand in her toes. Its constant ebb and flow was mesmerizing. A quick glance over her shoulder at the only other person still there—always there—displayed the same shimmering moonlit result but radiated off their skin with an ethereal beauty that took Tifa’s breath away. Aerith had to be some form of spirit goddess in a previous life, she thought. A benevolent sympathetic spirit whose beauty was too much for the physical world and only revealed herself to those pure of heart...or something like that. Tifa huffed and curled her hand in a tight fist. There’s a time and place. Though she remained unabashed with her steady admiration of the other woman.Aerith’s face was drawn in; green eyes glazed over and unfocused, reflecting a dull gray apart from the usual dazzling shine. A pitiful appearance for someone who held so much vibrancy and personality. Tifa knew the girl was taking it hard—harder than her, for reasons she’d rather not rehash—but the sight of Aerith in this state had unfortunately become a familiar one in the last days.Tifa took a lasting look at the ashes in the sand and sighed, earnestly wishing for a summer that might never return. A mix of anger, remorse, dejection and a whole host of other emotions passed languidly through her with every wave that splashed against her legs. The eternal fire that sat in her spirit and fueled her strength blazed wildly in the passing moments. Whether she’d ever allow herself to properly grieve was still undecided but one thing she knew for certain was nothing would be the same after today. Not her life, not the state of the village…or the one she held dear to her heart.Having had enough of the somber atmosphere, Tifa went to hug Aerith. Comfort seemed the only sensical next step. When lithe arms easily wrapped around her waist, she suppressed an urge to shudder, surprised when granted even this amount of touch. Pulling back she cupped Aerith’s face in her hands. Dulled green slowly rose to meet burning crimson. Their gazes locked as Tifa desperately tried to search for any familiar bit of lasting affection still present in the other’s eyes. But all she saw was swirling dark clouds reflected against the waves like Aerith was lost at sea—adrift.There had been a hard edge to Aerith’s demeanor from the moment the fateful intel from outside the Fire Nation had reached their village weeks ago. An Air Nomad had been found dead on the outskirts of the Northern Earth Kingdom. The news of any Air Nomad survivor afoot, even a deceased one, was always deemed worth investigating. So Tifa’s father put together a small troop and journeyed with them to heed off any more death and hopefully find an airbender or two to help out.The late Fire Lord’s gruesome genocide of the nomadic nation was as swift as it was brutal. A barbarous attempt to snuff out the airbender-born Avatar. But even with 20 years passing since the genocide and subsequent hunt by the Fire Nation’s military for stragglers, the whisper of surviving airbenders still managed to spred a modicum of hope to the rest of the Four Nations. It bloomed an optimistic dream that one day balance would be restored and, if Tifa’s historically moralistic village had anything to say about it, birthed an equal parts mission to try and hasten that dream along.But naivety wasn’t a luxury for someone who came out of the womb already a national traitor and Tifa certainly wasn’t naive enough to believe that idyllic dreaming didn’t have consequences. It’s a dreadful call against her hubris after being proven right when her father returned with his body wrapped in cloth and no airbenders in sight. A metaphorical dark cloud loomed over their village since that day and infected its residents, some more than others. Aerith withdrew in on herself and away from Tifa, while Tifa reluctantly stepped into her father’s fallen shoes.Tired of standing amidst a dead man’s ashes, Tifa wordlessly took Aerith’s hand and led them on the path back to the village. Silent the entire way; like leading a ghost back to the Spirit World.Aerith dropped her hand the moment the village was in sight. The action makes Tifa bite the inside of her cheek to prove her nonplussed state. They passed by a few villagers who respectfully kept their distance. It’s comforting in a way that begets the reminder that she was wholly responsible for all of them now. The thought was a little jarring.“Do you need anything?” Aerith asked softly when they'd made it back to their shared home—the modest estate at the top of a hill. Tifa’s family home, made when her great-grandmother was still alive.Tifa almost laughed at the irony and had half a mind to push the girl in front of a mirror and flip the question back as Aerith’s furrowed brow and perpetual frown were enough to beckon the concern. She shook her head.Aerith promptly bid her goodnight and retired to her room on the opposite end of the estate. Tifa heard the bedroom door close and almost followed her example to her own room but restlessness tightened its grip, plaguing her with stampeding thoughts. She shed her funeral robes, heavy and suffocating on top of her clothes, dropping them where she stood and headed outside to the front patio.The humidity of the night was quelled by a refreshing light breeze from the west. Turning her head in its direction and closing her eyes, Tifa let the wind billow up around her. It cooled her heated skin but offered no other relief. The inner turmoil over the last week was ever present. It left a hole where her heart should have been.To still have so much resentment for her father even after his death was almost too absurd to think about. Tifa wondered how it managed to survive alongside the ongoing grief and occupy as much space as it. She prided herself on her intuition and observational awareness but she felt like this entire ordeal—her father’s death, Aerith’s reaction, and how it affected Tifa was missing some sort of crucial element. It was as if fate was laying out a simple path before her but it was completely shrouded in fog.But it also could just be that the approach of the end of the year always sat unwell with Tifa. There was an unfortunate pattern with the season. If their village was having a relatively peaceful year then the coming autumn always seemed to beckon one disaster or another. Whether in the form of a group of bandits or pirates stumbling upon their island and attacking them, or some undiagnosed sickness spreading through the villagers; much like the one that took her mother so many years ago. There was usually something around this time and as a result, Tifa grew to hate the fall.Aerith used to say she only hated it because Tifa didn’t do well with transition or any sort of change—which held some validity—so of course her father would make a point of dying during this time as well. She cursed into the night, dispelling the thought.All was quiet in the village. The wind died off bringing back the muggy nightfall until a faint rustling emerged from the back of the house. Imperceptible footsteps lightly ran off into the bamboo forest until they faded.“Like clockwork,” Tifa whispered indignantly, no one but the spirits to hear her.She started noticing Aerith’s nightly escapades the day after Tifa’s father died but wondered how long it had truly been going on before being made aware. Aerith hadn’t brought it up so she certainly wouldn’t either. Everyone grieved in their own way...if that’s even what this was. Regardless, they’re both adults with full autonomy over their lives despite how intertwined they may seem. Until it directly impacted her or the village somehow, Tifa saw no reason to bring it to light...for the time being.Their relationship, the past summer not permitting, was curious in a manner of speaking. Tifa was begrudging to admit but Aerith was something of a personal bodyguard, protector, guardian; whatever descriptor seemed applicable. Tifa’s father assigned Aerith to this role at a very young age and, at that time being even younger herself, Tifa never questioned why. All she knew was her friend was going to be living with them after both Aerith’s parents had passed and would be looking out for her. Tifa just assumed that’s what older kids did. Plenty of the children around the village looked out for her while growing up. It was just the norm.Aerith’s appointment as her bodyguard was easy to ignore at first and as they got older it became a joke between them since it wasn’t a matter of Tifa being powerless. In fact Tifa knew herself a more than capable fighter than most. Her father instilled the notion in her and her old master, Zangan, was never easy on her during their lessons. That was to say, Aerith was no slouch either, even as a nonbender. Where Tifa’s firebending style was all deadly precision and raw power through speed, Aerith wielded her staff with incredible finesse and flexibility, able to keep opponents at comfortable range defensively.It made little sense to Tifa why her childhood friend was specifically given this responsibility. They never treated each other differently and Aerith took to the role with as much seriousness as a child could until the point where they got older and the lines of what they meant to each other began to blur. After the passing of her father, the weight of Aerith’s position seemed to dawn on her and their relationship suddenly shifted to something more traditional to what her father imposed.Tifa pushed off her seat, determined steps led her toward the back of the house to the edge of the bamboo forest. She chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating. While she respected Aerith’s autonomy…Tifa had just laid her father to rest and that incited a bout of recklessness within her.The bamboo stalks easily bent away with a strong arm. She kept a flame low in her palm to light the area, casting deep shadows farther out. The darkness gave birth in her mind to a number of imaginative spirits that maybe lurked in waiting. Her steps hastened.Halfway into following Aerith’s trail, Tifa faltered and guilt surged in her chest. What was she going to say if she found Aerith? What was she going to do if what she saw answered her curiosity in a negative way?A hard lesson Tifa learned in her time training with Master Zagan; being consumed by emotion and allowing it to wipe away her carefully honed sense of control. An old instruction that stuck with her more than any other.Turning her heel, Tifa emerged from the bamboo forest and followed an old beaten path to the western outskirts of the village. The moonlit training yard welcomed her agitated heart with a comforting familiarity. A need to exhaust herself to sleep had her falling immediately into the specially designed forms of her master’s lauded techniques.Tifa mumbled the memorized forms as she ran through them. “Gauge the distance to your opponent. Enter striking range cautiously and deliberately. Book 5 paragraph three section two. Circle slowly. Always clockwise…”By the time she’d made it through all five books and that familiar burn of exertion pulsed through her arms in the condensed heat, Tifa felt eyes on her. Her shoulders tensed up in fear for a split second, imagining the worst kind of vengeful spirit lurking in the darkness, but then heard the faint exhale of breath from her spectator. The slightest movement behind a thicket of bamboo reflected the moonlight off a pale face and piercing gaze. A little more intense than Tifa’s been used to this past week—like a raven eagle scoping its prey; scrutinizing her every move. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and a thrill rushed down her spine.She wondered why Aerith didn’t just announce her presence.“Thought you went to bed?” She directed the question without pausing her movement.Like a spirit in the night, Aerith’s clear voice rang out with a haunting echo. “Do you really have to train near the flowers?”Tifa relaxed her form and checked around her feet. The boundary of the crudely marked arena emptied out to a nearby flower bed. Half a dozen flowers with short stems and bright orange coiled petals were bent and trampled over. “Sorry,” she mumbled, stepping away from the plants.“Don't worry about it.” Aerith walked out into view. Gone were her funeral robes revealing the familiar simple flowing tunic that tired at the waist. “They're a lot tougher than they look.”“What are you doing out here?”“What are you doing out here?”“Training. I couldn’t sleep.” She watched the other woman expectantly out of the corner of her eye. “Was it the spirits or the planet that told you I was here?” she teased gently.The small uptick on the side of Aerith’s mouth that turned into a smile was so much more than Tifa could ask for.Aerith shrugged innocently, hands held together behind her back as she approached with measured steps. “I can’t take a nightly stroll?”“Is that what you’re doing? Seemed more like you were spying on me.”“I can multitask.”“Hmm…” Tifa resisted the urge to push for more and instead tested the waters. “Never stopped you before. You always preferred to just watch.”Even faced away in the dark Tifa knew she got the reaction she was aiming for. She could practically feel the slow unsubtle drag of Aerith's eyes down the length of her body. There was no playful rebuttal or quirky remark…but the lack of any rebuff was a good sign. Tifa dropped her stance when she heard Aerith continue to walk into the yard. She stood straight and glanced over her shoulder. A small flame immediately flicked to life in her hand.Bathed in the glow of the fire, Tifa’s heart ached seeing how pallid Aerith looked. There was a little bit of renewed light in her eyes but still a far cry from the woman she knew better than herself. She bit her tongue from voicing her concern and, if the last few days hadn’t been an absolute emotional trip, she’d question why she was being wary around someone she, only a few short days ago, shared intimate moments with.An arm's length away, Aerith couldn’t take her eyes off the flame. She stared at it transfixed—studying it, trying to understand it. Outstretching her hand, it hovered just under Tifa’s. “It’s beautiful,” she said wistfully as her eyes closed.Tifa didn't dare move an inch. The proximity of the other woman’s touch burned her more than the element of actual fire in her hand.“Your father used to say you were naturally gifted,” Aerith said barely above a whisper. “He would always tell me some people were born benders and others were born to bend. That we—.” Aerith’s face abruptly tightened and her eyes were drawn to the ground as if realizing her words and, just like that, the mood sobered up.No, Tifa thought. He doesn’t get to ruin this.She took a risk and took a bold step closer to Aerith, extinguishing the flame in her palm. Shrouded in darkness with only the faint silhouette of the other guiding them, Tifa grasped her friend’s hands and suppressed a grin when finding no resistance.“Talk to me. Please.” The unabashed pleading tone shocked them both. “What’s happening to us?”Aerith remained silent.She beckoned her closer and Aerith compiled. Now close enough to clearly see her in the dark Tifa took a leap and leaned in slowly.“Come back to me,” she whispered. Aerith turned away at the last moment. Her lips found unexpected purchase on the other girl’s cheek. She let her forehead fall to rest at Aerith’s temple.“Tifa...don’t.” It’s said like a warning.Tifa’s jaw tightened; control rapidly falling away. Pulling back she dropped the girl's hands and harshly checked Aerith’s shoulder brushing past her. No destination in mind, just the desire to escape the moment.She made it all the way back to the house on autopilot. Her eyes stung as her head hit the pillow of her bed. The faraway sound of crashing waves lulled her to sleep despite her fretful mood. The aching heart in her chest hardened a little bit when realizing Aerith never came after her.What did it say about her character when cremating her father didn’t make her feel so emotionally unstable but a simple interaction with Aerith did?Two weeks later Tifa dredged up the courage to enter her late father’s study in search of his will. There wasn’t much expectancy for what he’d impart to her that she didn’t already know about but it would finally put the matter to rest and do away with this lasting piece of him hanging over her. Yet she found herself hesitating all the same. The scent of him still lingered in the stale air and the desk was a disorganized mess like he planned on returning to eventually.It made her throat tighten. Despite her feelings when it came to their relationship and its shortcomings…he was never anticipating dying when he did. This room was never supposed to become an unintended remnant of his life. He’d spoken of the future as if he was always meant to be part of it. And it’s that thought that finally put his death in perspective for Tifa. It didn’t change the way she felt—forgiveness wasn’t going to come that easily for a person who wasn’t around to explain themselves but she could at least begin to uncover who father really was and maybe understand him a bit more.Thoughts of finding the will fade to the background as she instead got distracted with other findings. Starting with the desk, there were numerous scraps of paper that made little sense to her at first glance—arbitrary memos and inquiries from different villagers. The side drawer held old ledgers from past years and a few scrolls borrowed from the temple. But the most recent scribblings were from a notebook in the center of the desk filled with old Air Nomadic philosophies. The entire book was written in a careful hand as if her father was compiling it for later use.It was opened on a half-finished entry:
The body degrades and returns to the soil. But the spirit is reabsorbed into the lifestream, becoming one with the planet. This spiritual energy continues to course throughout the Spirit World, deep under its surface, bringing vitality and strength to both its realm and physical. Ultimately, portions of the lifestream within the Spirit World will siphon off to become new life that populates the physical world. That life comes in all shapes and sizes, and in all things is life. Life is eternal, and the planet is a precious, irreplaceable vessel on which we share with all denizens; spirit and physical. The Air Nomads understood that as the spirit became…
Bryan Lockhart was a man who held the will of the planet in high esteem, though never in practice, which Tifa always found odd. No one would have described him as especially spiritual but there were times he could be found talking with Aerith on the subject extensively. Like he was trying to impart some lesson or moral value onto the young girl. Something he never reciprocated with his own daughter…Tifa tossed the thought quickly away, lest she started spiraling, and went back to her search. Easily finding the will buried in a folder of old important documents for the village. By and by the document held nothing she didn't already expect to be written but there was an excerpt at the end specifically directed at her. The words etched carefully on the scroll in her father’s familiar scratchy handwriting.
My darling Tifa,

I’ve recorded my decisions, my mistakes, everything that has plagued my mind throughout my years; adding to it periodically. I’ve put all this in a journal. Learn from it. Don’t let those close to your heart cloud your judgment on what’s best for the village. I know you’ll do what’s expected no matter what time in your life this responsibility comes for you. Know that I’m always proud of you.
It was those words that had her heart pounding in her chest.The floor-to-ceiling bookshelf directly to her left housed the carefully leather-bound personal journal tucked away between history texts and a pile of firebending scrolls. Its filigreed spine of gold lettering shone with a mocking sparkle. Blood rushed to her ears, dulling every other sound. She would be a sight if anyone saw her. Standing still as a stone in the middle of her father’s office clutching his will so tightly she’s sure it was crumpled beyond readability. A stalemate between her anger and her control ignited.
Those close to your heart.
A flash memory from over a decade ago replayed in her mind. Tifa emerged from a cupboard she’d been hiding in during an unforeseen pirate ambush on the village. On the floor of their house was the unconscious body of one pirate with Aerith standing over him. Her father rushed in a moment later, white-faced and incensed as he took in the scene and promptly dragged Aerith out of the house. Tifa was too scared to follow or ask what happened. That night was never brought up again and it had all but faded from her memory until this moment.The piece of parchment in her hand burst into flames and disintegrated within seconds. The ashes floated languidly to her feet. Tifa stomped over them as she left, no direction in mind. She closed her eyes and attempted to center herself like her old master taught her. Empty her mind, calm her emotions, and have a sharp awareness of her body in order to let go.A shout from down the street caught her attention and Tifa found herself in the middle of the town square. Down the street, Jessie and Aerith stumbled out of Merle’s shop with big grins and raised voices. Merle chased after them with a similar expression of genuine camaraderie. They exchanged a few more words before heading in Tifa's direction.“No better time like the present,” Tifa mumbled to herself.Jessie spotted her first and waved over. Aerith’s smile dropped slightly when making eye contact. Tifa tried not to let the ache in her chest expand in response to noticing. It was strangely reassuring to know Aerith wasn’t any different with their other friends…just Tifa.“Look what we have here?” Jessie clapped a hand on Tifa’s back. “Shirking on your duties already, High Sage?”“You know me,” Tifa remarked with as much lightheartedness as she could muster.“Listen, Aerith and I were talking to Merle about—,” she hesitated. “Well, the what isn’t that important. Point is, I’ve got something cooking back at the temple if you wanted to join in on the fun.”“Cooking?” Tifa held her hand up. “Actually, I don’t want to know. I was hoping to talk with Aerith about something.”Jessie looked between them as if just noticing the rising tensions. She expertly ducked around Tifa with a mock salute. “Don’t mind me. Gotta find Wedge for a thing. I’ll catch you later, Aerith!”Tifa waited for Jessie to turn a corner before turning back to the other woman. “Hey.”“Hi.” Aerith’s shoulders dropped and her easy demeanor slipped away in an instant.“Don’t take this the wrong way—,”“What an ominous way to start a sentence.”Tifa ignored that and took both of Aerith's hands in hers. The tips of her fingers tingled. It felt akin to firebending—the sensation spreading through like a struck match. With a light squeeze of her hands, Aerith matched her stare. Tifa could almost feel that summer heat again looking into her eyes like this.“I’ve been thinking. And I know things are different but I don’t think either of us imagined just how rapidly everything would shift.” Tifa paused and held the silence for a beat, weighing which way this next part would go. “We should end this.”Aerith's face fell. “What?”“I mean, you have to see it too. Can't say this scenario is quite what I had in mind for when I’d take over.” It hurt her heart to cause such a sullen look on the woman she loved. “I just mean I don’t need a bodyguard anymore or whatever it is you are—whatever my father was thinking. There’s been a lot of high tension around since he died and I think you’re suffering from it. Just yesterday you looked like you were going to attack Biggs just because he raised his voice at me.” Aerith had the courtesy to look a bit ashamed. “It’s a stressful time for everyone and I just think this...position is doing more harm than good for you. My father paired you with me for spirits above only know and it’s—.”“I’m only here to protect you, Tifa.” It’s a flat practiced statement said with as much emotion as her stony disposition allowed.The anger slowly takes control of Tifa. “Do you hear yourself? It’s only been a couple of weeks and you’ve completely changed around me—,” she sputtered. Her words lost meaning in the growing frustration. “Can you not see how different you are? How different we are?”“No.”“No?”“I made a promise. To you and your father, I’d keep you safe.”“No. Not to me. All I’ve ever wanted from you, Aerith, is to be with you.” Her teeth clenched, she could see this was going nowhere.“It's the only thing I can do…”She’d never heard Aerith speak with such desperation. “If you really think that—,”“I don’t wanna argue with you on this.” Something shifted in her face. Like an old wound reopened, cracking the mask, revealing a spark of the real Aerith. “Please. Just respect that I’m going to follow what I believe in.” Her voice grew soft as she hung her head. “Your father did a lot for me and I want to honor him through his intention for me. I can do that by at least protecting one close to his heart.”
Those close to your heart.
“Intention.” Tifa’s voice was harsh, stinging. “So what was the summer? Did my father tell you to get close to me? Was that also done out of intention? Did you ever even want me?”Her words seemed to hit home as Aerith’s face twisted with remorse and disbelief. Tifa didn’t have the stomach to stare at the other woman’s face after that. She knew she hit a low point…and a lie on top of that. Aerith, like herself, knew all too well how her father felt about them being together.The memory of it incites increasing resentment so much so that she had to walk away. No one followed but Tifa did dare to believe she heard Aerith call after her.Even after that disaster of a talk, Tifa and Aerith remained civil for another couple months. Long enough for fall to pass allowing winter to sweep the cliffside like a strong southern wind. A far ideal from the kind of relationship Tifa craved but, like Aerith, she didn’t want to fight anymore.She continued to lead the village through trial and error and, of course, by the goodwill and help of those close to her. Aerith returned to some semblance of the woman she used to know but there still remained a tension between the two of them. Something unspoken and wanting, yet neither woman dared to act on it. Soon enough, the end of the year festivities are upon the village and for the first time this season the two women find themselves uniquely without responsibility.Tifa made a note to be more careful of her time in the future. All week she’d been dragged to a number of revelries hosted by different families around town wanting to honor their newly appointed High Sage for the coming Winter Solstice. Tifa, ever gracious to accept everyone’s hospitality, couldn't say no and as a result, rarely had a moment to herself until the actual day of the solstice where the entire village came out to celebrate together.It didn’t take long to catch sight of Aerith across the square chatting with Merle and Barret.Tifa was content checking her out from a distance as the setting solstice sun was the perfect illuminated backdrop to accentuate Aerith’s ethereal beauty. Her vision tunneled as everyone else simply melted away. For a blissful minute there was nothing tethering her to existence but Aerith. And it was suddenly easy to imagine a present where they never were at odds and that first summer lasted well beyond the reality they currently lived.Then Aerith glanced her way, the heady expression stunning Tifa to stillness. The rest of the world rushed back into focus yet she was still mesmerized by the fixed gaze. A willful bout of deja vu startled her, transporting her back half a year ago. It’d been the moment Aerith had grown tired of waiting for Tifa to kiss her so she made the first move herself as they stood shadowed in the cover of bamboo.The deja vu faded abruptly when Aerith suddenly appeared in front of her.“Hello.” Tifa tried to appear casual.“Hey there! I see you finally got away from everyone?”Tifa could hear the slightest slur in Aerith’s chipper tone. A subtle glance at the cup in her hand shows a familiar dark red liquid she’d seen a number of villagers nurse as the evening approached.“Jessie saved me, actually. Said everyone had to leave me alone so I’d be free to watch the show later. Don’t know if she meant it for my benefit or she wanted a guaranteed audience but I’m grateful all the same.” Tifa gestured to her drink. “You enjoying that?”“Yup.” An illicit-sounding giggle escaped Aerith’s lips like she was remembering a funny joke only she was privy to. The sound of it set Tifa’s inner fire ablaze. “Zack’s—what was the word he used—sublime present to the village. His words.” She took another sip and clumsily dribbled a little on the side of her mouth. “You try some yet?”“Not yet…” In a surge of inexplicable boldness, Tifa cupped Aerith’s face and wiped the spilled liquid with her thumb. Then brought it to her mouth and sucked it clean. Aerith watched the exchange, mouth slightly parted, eyes intensely focused on the movement of Tifa’s lips; only coming back to herself when she hummed, pleased. “Pretty good.”“Well, that won't do…” The words came rushed breathless. She swallowed hard. “C'mon, we have to get you a real drink.”“Lead the way.”Aerith pouted, the spell from a moment ago now broken. “You don’t sound very excited.”“I don’t know if any alcohol made by Zack warrants excitement but I trust your taste.” It may have been a trick of the light but Tifa could have sworn Aerith sobered up when the word trust was said but in an instant, her wide grin reformed.“That’s the spirit!”She let the tension drop from her shoulders and offered a bemused smile back. It was startling to see the old Aerith. Carefree. Bright eyed. High Spirited. Smiling… Tifa had the curious thought of whether the thinning veil between the spirit and physical worlds today also had any kind of effect on humans. Funnily enough, Aerith would have been the person she would have asked that kind of question to.Soon enough drinks are procured from Zack and the two of them find themselves seated at the outskirts of the main thoroughfare, watching the night's festivities from a distance. Jessie’s group is setting up the stage for their performance.Aerith bumped their shoulders together. “Do you remember a few years back when we snuck off in the middle of the day? There was that traveling circus on the other side of the island.” Her face split in a reminiscent smile.Tifa chuckled lightly, lost in the memory. It was a small troupe but a famous one that always brought a crowd from the other islands that could make the trip. Perfect cover for a couple of less-than-rowdy teenagers tired of being cooped up and hidden away in their village.“Spirits, we got in so much trouble when we got back.” She dared to lean closer toward Aerith sharing in the melancholy.Aerith’s eyes fluttered as she stared intently back at her. It was almost too much to bear for Tifa. She coughed awkwardly to dispel the sudden charged air between them and pointed to the stage as the music rose to a crescendo. A group of dancers were circling the makeshift stage in the middle. They watched the performance silently for a bit.“You didn’t want to participate?” Aerith asked.“And give Jessie more competition? She’d never forgive me.”“I don’t know,” she said teasingly, “I think you would’ve looked cute up there in matching outfits.” Aerith bit her bottom lip to stifle her laughter as Tifa’s cheeks falmed but it was already too late.Something about Aerith’s laugh immediately enchanted the air around them. Tifa could imagine Aerith floating—flying in the air like a bird. Untethered to responsibility and obligation. Her green eyes sparkled with enough mirth to rival every shining star in the sky above them.Tifa wanted so badly to kiss her.“Me?” She said instead. “If anything you’re more graceful. Always have been.”“No.” Aerith stretched the vowel out and looked mock offended. “You’re underselling yourself by a wide margin. I still have a hard time following your insane training regimen. I have the pulled muscles to prove it.”“Okay,” Tifa laughed, “but what about you? Remember those silly plays we used to act out as children?” She prodded her knee when Aerith stayed silent. “You always wanted to be the magical spirit. You’d hop around with so much poise and flexibility, for the longest time I’d been convinced you really were some alluring entity that escaped the Spirit World.”“Okay, okay.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Agree to disagree.”It was an entirely distracting motion. Tifa’s eyes followed her hand, but she shut her wayward thoughts down, ignoring the flutter in her stomach and blamed it on the alcohol dizzying her mind.Aerith suddenly stood and pitched forward, almost falling flat on her face if not for Tifa’s quick reflexes. Unfortunately, Tifa also wasn’t so balanced on her knees and used all her strength to keep them upright.“Whoa there.” She held tight to Aerith’s waist as she stood to support her better. The other woman remained unsteady on her feet completely pressed against Tifa. “Why don't you head home? Take a quick breather.”“And miss moments like this?” There was a suspenseful moment where Aerith’s eye line purposefully dropped to her lips and seemed to lean forward. Tifa let go of her waist on frightened instinct but it didn’t deter her. Aerith immediately grasped her hand and dragged them both down the road, stumbling every third step taken. “Come with me,” she whispered.Her hand was warm in Tifa’s. She always found it uncanny how Aerith was a nonbender with no inner fire to speak of but always maintained a consistent temperature on par with a normal firebender like her. It was a silly thought but Tifa always fantasized it was because they were meant to be—kindred spirits of a sort.They reached the edge of the bamboo forest before Tifa even realized they’d been walking for a while.“Can you…?” Aerith mimed her hand lighting up.Again, the beauty of the other woman in the glow of fire was alluring. “Why are we over here?” Tifa asked tentatively, heart pounding in her chest afraid of the answer.Aerith sat on her response for a long while as if debating what she’d say. Once the stalks towered above their heads and blocked out the sky she spun on her heel and leaned in. Hands grabbed hold of Tifa's waist to steady herself. The flame was immediately extinguished and the pair became shrouded in darkness.“I just couldn’t stand being so close to you and not doing anything.” Aerith then angled her head and captured Tifa’s lips with her own.No further prompt was needed as Tifa’s arms automatically wrapped themselves around the other woman’s shoulders. Her chest arched forward bringing the impossibly closer as Aerith’s hands dipped underneath her tunic and pressed against the small of her back.“I’m sorry,” Aerith whispered hurriedly against her lips. “We could’ve had more time.”“For what?” It was a mumbled afterthought too lost in the resurged sensation of having Aerith in this way. Her question went unanswered but it was the least of priorities.Almost without realizing it, Tifa carefully shifted her weight to better fit Aerith against her to further escalate their affair. The movement felt so natural…terrifyingly natural. All at once she was reminded of their history that unfortunately brought them to the point of Aerith sneaking her off in the middle of nowhere for a quick…whatever this was going to end up being. The thought barely managed to shatter the amour-induced haze.To pull away from Aerith took more willpower than anything, like releasing a breath she clung to for far too long. “Aerith…”“No,” Aerith whined, chasing after her retreating mouth. “Please.”The desperate plea was enough to sober her further. “What if I’m needed?” Her excuse was weak and honestly, Tifa was stunned she was even trying to get out of this situation. Maybe it was the fear that ever nagged at the back of her mind that Aerith was truly changed. But wasn’t this all she’d been craving? For that intimacy of a summer passed to resurrect itself? Did she not still love Aerith with all the passion of someone who could bend an inferno to her whim?Aerith must have picked up on her increased hesitancy and pulled back. Sighing ever so slightly, she reached up to cup Tifa’s cheeks. The pads of her thumb stroked back and forth along her cheeks leaving a trail of fire with each pass.“I need you.” Her eyes held incredible intensity. A siren’s silent call. “I want you. Please.”Tifa tried to stare at a spot over Aerith’s shoulder to control her wildly running emotions but couldn’t resist the drawn back to green that glowed despite the darkness. The gravity of attraction also gave her a tiny bit of clarity. Aerith’s eyes were a strange mix of what Tifa remembered from before their lives dramatically changed but still held that burdened sadness that now surrounded her like a cloud of mist. Aerith wasn’t the same…and maybe Tifa was holding out for a past that would never return. Maybe she had to accept that this was their situation now—a stolen moment in the darkness.Pupils blown, glistening lips, chest heaving; Tifa gently took hold of Aerith’s hand. She felt the calluses from her years of training brush against the soft unblemished skin of Aerith’s. Lifting it up, she pressed her lips to Aerith’s fingers.Then, almost shyly, Tifa leaned down and kissed her again. Aerith’s eager reciprocation sent pulsing shock waves through her body. Ignoring the warning signs in her head, Tifa responded, hungry and curious. Every nerve in her body awake. She kissed and sucked and nipped at smooth skin, and would have continued forever had Aerith not pulled away this time. A bit more clear eyed than before.“Here,” Aerith said. “Let’s go inside.”It was then that Tifa realized they were somehow outside their home. Aerith had led them through the forest behind the estate while she’d been completely engrossed in the escapism.She walked them backward keeping their lips connected. It was an impressive feat. Tifa almost felt like she was floating on air. Like the wind propelled against her feet to stop them from stumbling. Aerith’s graceful guidance heightened the intensified pleasure. An idle thought of Aerith not being as drunk as she seemed floated through her head and left just as quickly.The door to Aerith’s room was quickly reached. They stumbled into bed as all coherent thought left the pair. Nothing but hands on skin and unbounded pleasure to tend their night.Tifa woke up many hours later equal parts surprised and pleased to notice Aerith hadn’t mysteriously vanished in the night. She was also surprised to realize it disappointed her. There was no fanfare, no sweeping connectedness of the night just shared. But even that thought wasn’t upsetting. Just...expected. Hollow.Aerith stirred and Tifa looked away pretending she hadn't been staring at her sleeping form the whole time.“Good morning.” Aerith stretched her arms over her head, arching her back languidly and Tifa had to stiffen her hands against her sides lest she reach out for the soft skin on complete display. “I’m feeling a bit hungry. Probably gonna make some breakfast. You?”“I’m…hungry,” Tifa replied, uncertain about the flippancy of the other woman.Aerith sat up with ease like fatigue never brushed with her. “Great!”She casually dressed and even set aside some clothes for Tifa to wear. Then mentioned the abundance of breakfast-specific ingredients in the kitchen before leaving Tifa in her room alone. It was hard not to spare a look at Aerith’s retreating form but even that didn’t last long. The idle sounds of the morning, her only companion.They never brought that night up again…but it would test them in ways the future could never predict. It was their last peaceful moment before secrets began to upend their lives.Aerith only knew how to live with secrets. Her entire life, ever since she was old enough to comprehend who her mother was and what that meant for her—all she’d known were secrets.It was easier to hold secrets as a child because the only other children she’d interact with didn’t care enough to see if she even had any. They didn’t think about the duplicity that life could give so eventually even she forgot she even had a secret. Growing older and being trusted with strange responsibilities, those same kids she grew up with started to question why her responsibilities seemed different than their own. But it was still a secret so she could never explain it to them. And that seemed to work out for a long time until High Sage Lockhart died and thus the only other person who knew her secret too.As winter brushed with their island, the loneliness started to affect Aerith more heavily. The things she’d kept her entire life felt ever more exposed in the delicate chill. Maybe it was the nature of the season or maybe all her mistakes were finally catching up to her but with each passing day, it became harder to ignore Tifa’s woeful glances.
I need you.
Aerith lay awake long after Tifa had fallen asleep once exhaustion finally took her. There was a pleasant tranquility in the silence of nighttime. Something she hadn’t experienced in a while.If this could be her life forever…She understood Tifa’s anger for her father. Aerith understood it to a greater degree than she would ever let on. The thought of being cheated out of a happy life bubbled in her thoughts before being squashed by the conditioned warning.The mantra started again. The repeated cadence was like a drum in Aerith’s head.
Aerith would bring ruin to them all.
She shifted on the bed to face Tifa. A bit of moonlight spilled in from the window and illuminated her. Innocent features and soft planes of skin shined with stunning radiance. Aerith reached out a hand to brush against the other woman’s cheek.“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I do love you.”The mantra started again but this time it was easier to drown it out by memories of their shared night.She never felt closer to her element than in the moments she was with Tifa—wholly and completely. The urge to float away and never come back down was insatiable. The first time they’d slept together was the first time Aerith ever dreamed of mountains. All different kinds. All from different regions of their unexplored. She floated among them all.It was the most peaceful morning she’d felt in her life. That feeling…like freedom was a tangible ambition.Consequence? Now that was a tangible feeling. Aerith felt the sting of that the majority of her life and what having disregard for said consequence would give her in lieu of living without caution. If she ever allowed herself to live freely and openly it would only become her loved ones reckoning. These warnings had been drilled into her head since before a time when she could fully understand what they meant.Consequence is what kept her away from Tifa.How could she even look at Tifa knowing the guilt she carried inside? Knowing her beloved’s father would still be alive if it wasn’t for her.This one night was a fluke…nothing more.How could such a blissful feeling come with such consequence? To tell Tifa she was an airbender? That would ruin everything.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Aerith watches on from the lifestream as cherished friends fight a grueling battle in her honor. The subject of their present ire, her executioner, leaves them all battered and bruised but they still remain victorious in their loss.She fights to stay in this moment of time, resisting the draw of the planet’s relentless current of life. Maybe it’s selfish of Aerith to want to witness the aftermath of their grief but a part of her wishes for this last interaction. Because grief, however small it will eventually devolve, is something that will become a part of their perception of her forever.Tifa breaks from the group first, utilizing her endless well of stamina to chase after Aerith’s unmoving body.It’s like looking through a frosted glass. Detail is lost to her but she’s still grounded enough to her expired presence that a phantom wellspring of pathos still reaches through the veil. She mourns for Tifa’s unwillingness to believe reality and then the shattering of hope that follows when Aerith’s body doesn’t match her urgency. She feels the grief of glistening tear tracks on her face as her limp body lifts into her friend’s steady embrace. Trying hard enough, she can imagine the ghost of Tifa’s cheeks brushing against her own.Aerith’s own heart is surprisingly calm as an out-of-body spectator; detaching herself from this singularity of life yet still resistant to the lifestream’s unabating nudge toward its tideless waters. That is until the sky darkens above as Tifa holds her body closer. Then through a mix of tears and sweat, Tifa kisses her. A beseeched touch of lips.The timing is bittersweet. A gesture taken long overdue.Tifa places her forehead against her prone form and whispers something.Aerith suffers a heart-rending desire for her body to open its eyes, meet Tifa’s gaze and know her last words spoken. She watches Tifa hold her lifeless body for a minute more before settling her. Aerith starts to lose her grip on this moment in time as Tifa’s hand snakes through the top of Aerith’s head down to her cheek. The gloved thumb gently rubs the skin just to the left of her lips.And she’s gone.The shade of Tifa’s touch warps into the all-encompassing embrace of the lifestream. A bitter taste of inequity coats the back of her throat as she migrates along with the dizzying sum of fragmented minds still holding to varying pains and resiliences. She helps who she can in that moment and their essence dissolves around her, settling her own mind.Maybe she’ll join them someday but for now, she can still help her friends prevent the planet from dying and dispel the evil festering within it.Time moves differently in the lifestream. Her death feels but a moment ago and another lifetime entirely. Time flashes past her with no anchor. Memories of a labored childhood at the Shinra building then in the slums of Sector 5. As a wide-eyed adult traveling the world with new friends and meeting more people than she’s known in her life. These experiences all blend and morph into a kaleidoscope of Aerith’s lingering presence. She’s able to keep hold of her sense of self allowing greater control of the surrounding lifestream.In the span of a few heartbeats, her friends suddenly face down the culmination of Sephiroth’s burning hatred. Aerith recognizes their triumph is belated. Her dying spell won’t stop catastrophe so she turns to the wealth of life essence around her—ancestors, strangers, and friends alike. She combines her own will with theirs banishing the destructive celestial body back from causing any more harm. The celebration ushers away when she feels him there in the lifestream.A cautious game of cat and mouse ensues. The malignant scars in the lifestream left in his wake become areas for her to avoid. Then a spark in the distance draws her close. Her friends reappear—she feels Tifa, standing triumphant over the planet. She senses the hardship they’ll all endure in the future ahead…but also the peace. Aerith mourns it all at once. The sour ache of missing out on everything is almost enough to push her to join the lifestream forever. To forgo herself and finally rest—to meet with her mother again.But like a flash of lightning, unseen fingers touch and pull at her formless existence, trying to draw her to somewhere. The crater. Jenova. Her body twitches in resistance. It no longer feels shapeless, as if some semblance of structure is bestowed back. Ghostly strings entwine around her heart, pulling her—calling her to the malicious presence in the crater. The sensation remakes Aerith whole, drawing her towards the evil that calls.Just a little longer, she tells herself.Her will drains away, siphoned off into the abyss at the depths of the crater.Just a little longer and she can go where she is called. She will obey—give herself over.Then a stir.Anger. Her anger. It squeezes itself into one hard knot, and she clings to it.Another stir.Something calling her back. Back to the moment of her unfortunate death and further back still. She feels his presence behind her. A spear of malice and wrath.
Calling. Calling.
A way through.Maybe this time can be different…In the short time she had together with her friends, they faced countless dangers and close calls. In every moment Aerith had found great comfort knowing they had the strength—the untameable presence of love to reach impossible ends. They had the drive and the skill to see their mission through.Now Aerith wanted to be a part of it.Until the very end.Like breaching the surface of water after holding in the last clawing pocket of air in her lungs, Aerith returns to the corporeal in a rush of chaotic sensations. A painful throb sits at the center of her chest as it slowly spreads throughout her body like snaking tendrils of electric pulses. Her skin pricks with an uncomfortable numbness but the satisfying breath she inhales charges her veins with new life.After being closely intertwined with countless souls in the lifestream it is tempering to now only perceive herself.The bitter stench of rusted metal assaults her nose and the blurry veil of mist obscuring her vision shrinks as a dim green light hits her eyes. Small motes of lifestream energy dance around her head until they dissipate into the air. It takes but a heartbeat to acclimatize to the surroundings as words die in her mouth when green eyes fall on the majestic splendor of the city of Midgar before her.The colossal Shinra Building draws her eye first as it dominates the majority of the skyline. Then the proximity of the underside of the upper plate in comparison to where she stands confuses her greatly. She spies the immense floodlights used to provide artificial sunlight to the undercity now surrounding her and realizes she’s directly underneath the upper plate of Midgar. A familiar but alien sight to Aerith. All manner of steel beams and tiered platforms wind around her like a disconnected maze.The incredible vantage allows her a unique opportunity to gain her bearings, recognizing just beyond the boundary—her home of the Sector 5 slums. It’s a heartfelt sight after existing in the incomprehensive nature of the lifestream. It grounds herself to this moment in time as the fleeting incorporeal inwardness she’s grown used to fades away.Aerith knows well the awestruck nostalgia that Midgar gives off but now that she’s truly back this...this is more than she can believe. Being so high up, it’s like looking into her memories as both a child and adult. Faraway buildings cluster together as if every town she’s visited gathers and sets down there in the slums—side-by-side and all pushed together. Inns with their upper stories thrust above the tile roofs of houses, shouldering against squat warehouses, broad and windowless. Everything jumbles and mixes together; spreads as far as the eye can see.Aerith is struck with the startling thought that this is her first time returning home since leaving with the party on their perilous adventure. The sudden urge to see the sky compels her upward. She finds the exit to the upper plate with little effort. One thing about Shinra is they love their signage.It’s evening when she finally emerges above. The slow-rising moon glows bright on the horizon. She gives herself just a single minute to gather her bearings. Already Aerith can tell she’s forgotten certain things of her past. The cooking threat that this gift at a second chance is only temporary terrifies her…but she squashes that fear down for a later time. She has to find someone first.“Where to now, Aerith?” She mumbles quietly to herself as she follows signs to the heart of the Sector 5 upper city. The utility ladders lead up to a sparse residential area that sparks familiarity from her early flower peddler days. She starts in the direction of the train station. Better to be down in the slums before she’s accosted by any security officers.It takes all of three minutes of walking through the downtown area before Aerith spots her.The first thing she notices about the other girl is not her appearance, though that is shocking for a multitude of other reasons, but instead, it’s Tifa’s demeanor.In the short time they are able to get to know one another—countless dangers and close calls aside—Aerith always finds great comfort in knowing Tifa is at her side. Everything about her speaks of a true friend. There’s a quiet strength Tifa radiates just by being in her presence. The girl in front of her, while not completely devoid of that strength, is a far cry from the woman she first met in the basement of Wall Market’s lecherous crime lord.Tifa’s eyes glance around the street with wide-eyed curiosity, shoulders drawn in and guarded like she doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do with herself in this space.She’s young. Younger than Aerith’s ever known her to be but then Aerith catches her own reflection in a nearby storefront window. She is also young. A bright-eyed teenager. The old white and blue sundress she used to love sways lightly around her knees, and the signature pink ribbon ties her hair together. She reaches toward it, feeling for the crystalized sphere of mako hidden in the knot. The smooth materia grazes against her fingers and a whisper of cold steel itches at her back. She retracts her hand as if burned.There’s an instance as Aerith turns her head to check behind her for a phantom threat where her entire life flashes in her mind’s eye. Small moments. Nights at camp or a shared room of an inn. Every bit of downtime afforded between her and Tifa in every new city they pass through. Every call of her name and fond smile in her direction. The reverent moments when Aerith witnesses the wider world for the first time alongside her friend.A distant yell down the street breaks her reverie. She closes her eyes as the city lights begin to twinkle to life as the late hour begins.A heavy sigh escapes her lips. “Gone back a little too far, I guess.”Or…at least Aerith thinks it's too far back. She’s not so sure anymore. The memory of what she knows is hazy. Like a fading dream.With increasing desperation she holds to the moments shared with Tifa as best she can but even those too start to recede. Slowly but steadily.Aerith takes a breath, centering herself. “Something to think about later…if I even remember.”Tifa has moved down the street a bit, seemingly given up what she was originally up to. Her gentle appearance brings a sense of calm over Aerith under the uncertainty. She races after then slows as four long strides bring her behind her old, now young, friend.“Need some help?” She dons her best unassuming smile.Tifa spins around and looks at her cautiously, peering into her eyes with trepid uncertainty. She inclines her head at an angle, a touch of curious amusement in her features like Aerith was the odd one for approaching her so casually reminiscent of their actual first meeting. “Who are you?”Aerith makes a face. “Okay, maybe not so different,” she mumbles.“What?”“I asked if you needed any help. I saw you from down the street. You looked a little lost. Or maybe I got it wrong and you’re perfectly where you’re supposed to be. Either way…I’m here.”“You live around here?”“Nope.” She tucks her arms behind her back and sways on her heels. “I’m from the slums.”Tifa’s shoulders noticeably relax at Aerith’s admission. It makes her wonder what the other girl may have been through to make a show of such obvious relief. Then realizes she doesn’t know much of Tifa’s past in Midgar during the time before they met. The greed to suddenly want to know everything hits her fiercely.“I don’t come up here too often…or at all.” Tifa shifts her weight between her feet. “I just got my ID approved.” Her head turns down the street where she was heading. “Today’s my day off so I thought I’d see more of the city but I don’t know if I have much time left before the trains stop.”Aerith makes her strike. “Looks like we’re in the same boat. Honestly seeing the sky so open made me forget why I came up here in the first place. I feel like I’ll be sucked straight up,” she giggles mildly. “Kind of scary, don’t you think?”“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Tifa says wistfully, eyes far away. She clears her throat as if trying to banish something in her mind.“You’re not from around here?”“No.” Aerith is shocked by how defiant she sounds. A far cry from the woman who embraced a community in the slums so completely. “I moved to Midgar after—just recently.” She looks to the ground. Her hand absentmindedly scratches the area of her chest below her clavicle. “It’s a bit far from here.”“That’s lucky.” She bends slightly to catch the other girl's eyes. “I know a few people in my neighborhood who moved from outside Midgar…though they never have anything nice to say about the homes they left.” She shrugs. “Me? I don’t know anywhere else. Midgar, born and raised.” The light of the Shinra Building in the distance mocks her.Tifa smiles and Aerith is sure she’s never seen this kind of smile before…or maybe she’s already forgotten it. A flash of a ghostly touch of lips on her skin dims her smile.
How much will she forget?
A hand extends. “I’m Tifa.”Aerith reaches for her hand and at the moment of contact there’s…something. Tifa’s shoulders relax further and her eyes soften. The warmth of it brings Aerith’s smile back.“Aerith Gainsborough. Resident flower expert of the undercity. Nice to meet you!”“Aerith.” She tests out the name.A spark of fate.There’s a strange rush when Tifa says her name. Like Aerith is the only person she’s ever known or like she’s immediately worth knowing everything about. There’s intrigue and interest as if fate itself has gifted her with greater insight.A soft look falls over her face. Questioning something. Aerith wants to give away all her secrets. Tell her everything she shouldn’t and more she desperately doesn’t remember anymore.“Are you busy right now, Aerith?” The abrupt question seems to even surprise Tifa at her boldness.She hums. “As busy as you want to make me.” Grimacing at her forwardness, she spies Tifa blushing a pale pink color that’s so pretty on her cheeks that Aerith wants nothing more than to make happen again.A beat passes between them before Tifa says with some hesitation, “I’m…hungry. Did you want to maybe…”“Grab a bite to eat?”“Yeah. If that’s okay with you.”“It’s a date.” Aerith smiles widely. Tifa doesn’t react to Aerith’s choice of words. She only smiles faintly and avoids her intense eye contact.The well-maintained glittering stretch of buildings line up uniformly on either side of the street. The smell of cooked meats and vegetables wafts faintly in the air.Tifa rocks back on her heels, looking around them with variable effort. “I don’t know many restaurants up here. It’ll be a gamble.”“Lucky for you, I’ve been around this block once or twice.” Aerith frowns, thinking back. “Never had enough gil to actually try anything up here though. So I guess we’re in the same boat.” There’s a giddy kind of satisfaction when Tifa softly laughs at her confession that compels Aerith to say, “We can go back to my place? I can make something for you. Or I guess…maybe my mom can.”Her mom. Another ache in her heart. She needs to see her. She needs to tell her how thankful she is—how sorry. Aerith struggles to stay upright against her suddenly weak legs. The enormity of what kind of chance she’s been given is starting to dawn on her.“I have a garden,” Aerith continues. Her garden. The flowers. Her little oasis of peace. Another longing ache to rush home. “Oh, you have to come over now.”“You have plants?”“The aroma will knock your socks off. I guarantee it.” It’s easy to be in the moment with Tifa. “You like flowers?”She nods. “I didn’t think anything like that could grow under the plate. You must be really talented.”The awe in her voice makes her blush. “A girl after my own heart. Keep this up and we’ll be fast friends.”Tifa bites her lip. “What Sector do you live?”“Oh, I live with my mom in Sector 5. You?”“Sector 8. Manson’s neighborhood,” she supplies hastily after a second. The thinly veiled caution poses itself as a threat—as if hearing the name would spook Aerith away if she had nefarious intentions.“Really?” Her eyebrows furrow. Did Tifa ever live in 8? Had she changed something in coming back?“Yeah.”An old memory of an afternoon of traveling comes to mind. Tifa regales her and Nanaki of tales of her home when she was a child and the consequent trip to Midgar. Aerith racks her brain for a mention of where she lived when arriving to the metal city but so much has happened in their journeying that the memories tend to blend or disappear altogether.“Well, I’m sure it’s lovely. There’s a lot to the slums you can find beautiful if you know where to look.” She winks. “Shall I lead the way or did you have anything else to do up here?”“We can go.” Tifa falls into step beside Aerith and smiles to herself.Aerith may be a bit too enthusiastic about going home and finds herself skipping down the street. Tifa giggles behind her and jogs to keep up. They sit next to each other on the train and conversation comes easily. Tifa is definitely different from the woman Aerith comes to know. There’s an underlying desperation for connection in every word she says. It’s as if Tifa is simultaneously hanging off Aerith’s every word but also deadly wary of saying the wrong thing and scaring her off.Aerith immediately recognizes the behavior. It’s the same as when she was a kid. The misery of loneliness and urgency for connection.It’s too dark to really appreciate Aerith’s garden once they arrive but Tifa is in awe all the same. More time would’ve been taken to show her around if the sight of Aerith’s house didn’t explode so much anxious energy in wanting to see her mother again. She doesn’t cry as she rushes for the front door but she does annoy her mother with enough overzealous hugging that she’s forcibly removed from the kitchen.Dinner is served in no time flat and the three of them sit together comfortably. Tifa artfully dodges Mrs. Gainsborough’s probing questions about her living situation but Aerith steers the conversation away quickly. Both she and her mother notice Tifa voraciously indulging herself with the food and they share a look, making note to get to the bottom of her mysterious housing arrangement sooner rather than later. In the end, it’s a pleasant dinner with pleasant company.It takes some convincing to persuade Mrs. Gainsborough to let Tifa leave for home at such a late hour but she’s thankfully swayed by Aerith’s insistence who recognizes the anxiousness expelling from the other girl. No need to scare her away yet.Halfway to Sector 8 Tifa points at a small open area, around which several benches form a loose ring. “Can we sit for a second?”“Sure can.”“Thank you for inviting me over,” Tifa says gratefully. She turns her head upward toward the plate. “I haven’t really had the time to make any friends since coming to Midgar. It’s a very different city than what I’m used to.”“Yeah, I hear ya.” Aerith thinks of her own complicated situation growing up. “It definitely can be hard. I mean, I remember when I was a kid I wasn’t even allowed outside until I was about eight years old.” A bitter laugh escapes. “Talk about a lonely childhood…”“Really? Your mom doesn’t seem the type.”Aerith winks and holds a finger to her lips. “That’s a story for next time. Can’t give away all my secrets now, can I? What would stop you from coming back?” At the mention of a next time Tifa fails at hiding an elated grin. Aerith bumps their shoulders together. “So what brought you to the upper plate? And don’t say sightseeing. I know a sightseer when I see one and I didn’t see a sightseer in you.”They both laugh. The sound carries upward and mixes with the quiet din of the night.Tifa heaves a tired sigh. “I was up there to find a hospital?”She frowns. “You sound unsure. Are you sick?”“No, it’s not that.” She struggles to find the words. “I don’t really know. I think it’s just a hunch,” she adds vaguely. “I’m trying to make sense of all this. Midgar—my life. It’s a lot to get used to and very little of it feels right.”She tells Aerith about Nibelheim. It’s more heart-wrenching a tale than Aerith remembers. Maybe because the wound is fresher and the pain hasn’t become something manageable yet. The anger that builds as she describes the tragedy is much fiercer since the memory of the event sits at the forefront of her mind still.Ending up in Midgar is still seen as the gruesome effect of a horrific cause. It’s not a home yet. Her heart is still tied to her lost life. The want to help her friend is too forceful to ignore.“Nibelheim will always be with you. And your dad will be too.” Aerith reaches up and takes both of Tifa's cheeks in her hands. Her palms feel warm against her skin. “You're not alone.”Tifa brings her own hands to Aerith’s wrists and holds them there for a moment. “I know.” She wets her lips and looks at Aerith strangely, “How are you so…”“So?”Tifa shakes her head lightly as if clearing a thought. “It’s like I’ve known you for a lot longer than just today.”“I’d only be so lucky.” Aerith hums, pleased.“Maybe,” Tifa says unconvinced. She leans forward slightly. “Who are you really?”Aerith’s eyes widen and she scrambles backward, whipping her hands to her own cheeks. She chuckles nervously and abruptly stands. “Back to the slums we go?”Tifa follows after her and says nothing else on the subject. Sector 8 comes into view quickly after and they part ways, promising to meet up again next week.A beautiful friendship blossoms that day for two girls who desperately seek true companionship.Years together. That’s what Aerith is granted.A friendship like she’s never experienced blossoms with Tifa. Years of loneliness for the both of them reshape and reform into something incredibly precious. The years go by too quickly for Aerith and though she’s forgotten most of her previous life before the lifestream, soon enough she feels the same steps being taken by others around them.The Turks increase pressure on her. Tifa still allies herself with AVALANCHE and eventually, the whispering stir of Jenova’s power awakens.Mounting desperation to make sure fate hasn’t gripped her has Aerith make a bold move against Tifa. Something they’ve been dancing around since they met.It takes her four full days to work up the courage. Even her mom notices something is off when she spaces out during breakfast more than once. So Mrs. Gainsborough, sick of her daughter’s moping, ends up inviting Tifa over in her stead, which mortifies Aerith to no end but she’s silently grateful for her mom’s intuition.The two of them walk through Aerith’s garden that night. Talking about nothing and everything. Worries of the planet and fate and the future wither away.While trying to gesticulate when retelling a story, full of theatrics, Aerith’s balance goes askew. Tifa’s steady poise disappears with her friend’s lost stability, and even she can’t hold them up. A shaky bout of laughter plunges them to the ground. The tall surrounding flora shrouds them from prying eyes and slowly the atmosphere charges between them.Fumbling hands grip shoulders and waists and hips and legs and the need for intimacy becomes a singular focus. Chest to chest, there’s a flutter of lashes and soon enough they’re kissing. It’s not the first kiss between them by far but it’s the first one that holds true intention. A promise for more—something meaningful and loving.Tifa, to no one’s surprise—certainly not Aerith’s, has exquisite control. Possessing the ability to wake whole new harmonies of pleasure with careful inflection of touch. Aerith wonders, a little dreamily, why she hasn’t ever tried sleeping with Tifa before. And then, for another long span of time, thought becomes impossible again.It’s idyllic and inelegant and so true of themselves and the depth of their feelings that Aerith can believe for a blissful moment that everything has changed. But soon enough the sun rises and, fighting little sleep, Tifa finishes with her with promises of more and gets ready for her shift at the bar. Aerith is too breathless to respond, but the other woman seems to take that as a compliment.After Tifa leaves, Aerith stares up at the ceiling and wonders that if this entire ordeal of second chances is a mistake then she doesn’t want to know the other side of it. She can almost believe that this time will be different. That the events she can’t fully remember won’t happen as they should.Maybe she’ll be spared a sorrowful fate this time. Maybe some other group will take up the burden—a new group of friends will travel the world and have a multitude of misadventures then grow close as they face impossible odds together.Aerith wonders this with every peaceful moment that passes.Then one day soon after, like a beautiful fallen angel, Tifa crashes through the roof of her church the day the reactor explodes. And Aerith, unfortunately, realizes destiny is inevitable even if dressed differently.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

To save the world the hero must fade from this time and through time will return. With this sacrifice, follow does the one that relentlessly haunts.
A grand silhouette of amorphous origin stood candid before the party. In the middle of its head sat two vacuous black eyes swirling with faint wispy threads of lifestream. It spoke with a thousands-year-old timbre inside the minds of everyone present. The power of the ancient Cetra on full display.‘Intrepid heroes.’ There were layers to its voice as if dozens of people were speaking at once and echoing off each other. ‘Brought together through harrowing circumstance—through generations of destined guidance of Gaia’s will. You have journeyed far and toiled to great sacrifice.’ The strange figure looked at each of them as if peering into their very souls, pausing its gaze at Cloud and then Aerith. The voices echoed louder, reverberating within the large chamber yet never left their minds. ‘You know what you’ve come here for. The last option. The one foretold millennia ago by us. To end the great evil on your land for all time and beyond, sacrifice must be taken. More sacrifice than may be readily apparent…but only in this moment can this sphere be broken. Only by a single hand, a hand possessed of a singular power.’ It regarded Cloud again. ‘In this world, only one such power exists. That of the Luminary…’Aerith didn’t watch Cloud for his reaction. She knew him well enough now after journeying together for as long. She knew he wouldn’t hesitate to do what would benefit so many. He’d already done so much for Aerith—more than she could ever repay. So it wasn’t necessary to anticipate his response.She watched Tifa.Tifa, who wore her heart on her sleeve even when being considerate of others. The one who was most vocal about finding another way to keep both Cloud and Aerith with them. Tifa, who felt Aerith’s gaze on her and pleaded silently in turn like she was her last hope at saving her childhood friend. Tifa, who Aerith failed so spectacularly in this endeavor because Cloud’s sacrifice meant Aerith’s resurrection would not be undone.Bowing her head, Aerith held tears from falling when Cloud finally turned his attention to her for their goodbye.She tried to keep her voice from wavering. “I guess I started this journey with you feeling that I was simply doing it through Gaia’s will.” She sniffled. “But I promise it became so much more than that. I’ll never forget the chance at a second life you’ve given me. So please, if you don’t mind, I don’t know what going back will do for us but I hope you’ll take me along with you all over again?”Cloud gave her a tender hug that felt strangely reassuring and sorrowful. The sudden thought of missed opportunity and everything he wouldn’t experience with them anymore sat heavy in her mind. His arms were the ones she first woke to after coming back by way of his abilities and realizing this would be the last time with him, brought a lump in her throat. There wasn’t any way she could adequately express appreciation for her friend without forgoing anyone else’s chance at saying goodbye. A quiet thank you would have to suffice.Tifa was last to go but Aerith couldn’t bear to watch their tearful goodbye.The shadow of the ancient Cetra beckoned Cloud forward once all was done. It gestured to the silver sphere of swirling light perched on the ornate pedestal. Whatever time magic was contained within pulsed with a strong thrum as Cloud approached it. From her vantage, Aerith could just barely see flashes of moments—memories through Cloud’s eyes, forming and dissipating within an opaque fog. It almost seemed to call her. She took a single step toward it before the Cetra’s voice spoke again in their minds.‘Wield your sword, destined Luminary, and strike true.’Aerith swore one of the layered voices sounded like her own but couldn’t dwell too long on that mystery because Cloud was gone within the next minute. A brilliant flash of white light engulfed his figure and blipped him out of existence.Everyone waited with bated breath, the sound of shattering glass lingering far longer than what was natural. The broken pieces of the sphere scattered at their feet, their silvery glow completely dulled. They watched the center pedestal for a minute—two minutes, waiting for any indication that something would come undone and their friend would reappear like nothing happened.One by one, each member of the party relaxed and looked to one another as if to ask what was next. Aerith half listened as they started to quietly deliberate. What were her next steps?She thought of the adopted mother she left in the city that was home. She thought of the lost mother she unexpectedly found, heralding a kingdom waiting for their heir to return. She thought of maybe listening to her heart for once and taking, an apparently not so unrequited, risk. Now that she’d fulfilled what generations-old bond her ancestral destiny expected of her—and died for it—was she truly done? Could she rest? Where was her life supposed to go from here when she wasn’t expected to have one?“—ith.”Could she finally be free and make an actual life for herself? The shards of glass at her feet seemed to reform in her mind’s eye. A perfect sphere of glowing power made by the hands of the Cetra—of her ancestors. Then something old and unfathomed took hold of her mind and answered no. She fell to its might, powerless to stop the invasion happening to her mind. She felt the touch of it in that illusory space where her memory lay and placed the reformed sphere around it. The glass shattered again. The white light blinded her as if it was happening in real life and for a brief moment…nothing existed.“Aerith.”She jumped at the gentle voice and the touch of warmth from a hand she’d often dreamed about. Dried tears stained her cheeks but Tifa still looked radiant as ever. She gave Aerith a small nod and then addressed the others. “You all go on. We’ll meet you outside.” Cid placed a comforting hand on her forearm as he passed her.Now alone, the girls couldn’t take their eyes off the shattered globe.“Aerith?”She almost flinched at her name being called again.There was an air of hesitation as Tifa stepped beside her, joining her vigiled silence. The broken shards of iridescent glass remained unmoving.“I don’t blame you,” Tifa started. “I know you think you should’ve done more because I asked…but that wasn’t fair of me. I never should have put that on you. Cloud stubbornly makes his own decisions and there was no talking him out of this one.”Aerith swallows hard. “But if I hadn’t died—,”“Aerith.” Her voice was low and dangerous. They’d had this discussion a few days before and that time had a lot more yelling.Life was a touchy subject for Aerith as this was her second go at it. There was a period of a year when she did not exist. Brought back only by the toil and enduring heart of her friends. Life to Aerith was, at least the breadth of it—frustrating. Its fragility was painful. It was too easily manipulated. Especially when so much of it was so beautiful. The gifts life gave if receptive to them could be breath-catching. Like the unique ache for openness that came with finding someone worthy of sharing every facet of it with. Or just the newfound appreciation for the simple aspects that usually went overlooked.Aerith desired purpose. It’s why she left her home in the first place. Guided by the sudden incessant whispers of the Cetra calling to her forged this path she was on. It was too late to regret the decision. Aerith didn’t want to be suffocated by it. She’d met all these wonderful people and traveled to all these beautiful places because of those whispers. She’d met Tifa.Aerith idly wondered if this kind of conviction would have still existed within her if she hadn’t trusted the wrong person, thinking love could have saved him. The back of her head where she scowled at fate and forgotten memories, itched uncomfortably. Then the regret of selfish desire that appreciated Cloud’s sacrifice because it meant she would continue to live was like a sharp point prodding its way into her skull bit by bit. Her body lost its held tension and she sighed lamentably. Tifa placed a hand on her shoulder and she unconsciously covered it with her own.“For a second it was like I’d forgotten everything,” Aerith said abruptly. “The light hit me and my mind was completely blank. I didn’t know who I was. Who any of you were. What we’d done. Why I was here.”Tifa remained silent.Aerith shook her head to rid herself of the thought. “It was peaceful. It’s how I imagined it should have been coming back.”“You don’t really talk about it,” Tifa said gently.“I don’t know what else to say. Cloud’s gone. I’m still here. I’m standing in this grand temple built by my ancestors and I don’t feel like myself.”“Something’s different?”“More like I’m waiting for something to change.” She bit her bottom lip. “When you all brought me back, the first person I saw was Cloud—guided by his hand back to life. But the first thing I heard were the whispers. Louder than I’d ever heard them. It was like they consumed me and I wasn’t myself anymore. Then you called my name and they stopped but I knew something was different. The same thing happened just now. I thought—I hoped maybe...”“Maybe he’d come back?”Aerith bit her lip. How could she convey what she suspected just happened without worrying Tifa?“Yes,” she lied. “I can’t say I’m sure if I appreciate sacrifice in my name.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “One person’s life is not worth more than another. Not for the Luminary. But you already said it—Cloud does what he wants. I’m just scared…”“Of what?”“What if our memories fade?”“There’s no way to say they won’t. Where Cloud is going he won’t remember us as we are now but I’d like to think nothing would change our memories because of it.”Aerith remained unconvinced. There was no telling what the vision in her mind truly meant but something inside Aerith already knew.Tifa seemed to catch her trepidation. “Every moment we continue living is in his memory, right? So even if we forget him our lives are tied to Gaia like his. That’s worth more than memory in my opinion.”The other woman’s hope placated something in Aerith after seeing her so heartbroken over just a few minutes ago. “You sound more like a Cetra than me.” She squeezed her hand.“I hope not. Your mom scares me,” Tifa laughed. “C’mon, the others are already waiting outside.”Aerith didn’t move for a tense moment but her eyes finally left the shattered glass. In that moment, they looked like faraway stars on a cloudless night. Like some kind of ill omen for the future. She locked eyes with Tifa and smiled sadly then slipped her hand from hers and started walking.“A planet without Sephiroth...” Aerith started. “Without Cloud. I almost can’t believe all we’ve done. Through hardship and grief; through pain and sadness, we made it through and are better people for it. The planet is better for it.”“And we’ll be okay,” Tifa added.“We’ll be okay,” she echoed. Aerith took a last look around the decorative chamber of her ancestors and for a moment…completely forgot what she was doing there. Then Tifa’s receding footsteps steadied her thoughts and she followed.A bittersweet last journey.One by one, their party was dropped off in their respective towns to raucous celebration, tearful goodbyes, and promises of swift reunion.Tifa felt the mounting pressure of a journey ending as their traveling party got smaller with each farewell. But even more mounting was the pressure to name what exactly she felt for Aerith and face what may come next between them. Whether that was a complete dismissal of her expanding feelings in favor of keeping the friendship or admitting to Aerith that she wanted to risk everything and explore a new world with her.This wasn’t some grand discovery of herself brought to light in one brilliant moment. Tifa always had these feelings for Aerith since they’d met. It was something cultivated through the sharing of a bunch of small moments throughout their journey that became even more profound after Aerith had died. Tifa admitted to being the most vocal advocate in finding a way to reverse what happened to the other woman; pleading with Cloud to do whatever he could; that an injustice like this was not worth it if the power of the Luminary could not reverse it. In a way, she almost felt responsible for what happened to him in the end but realized even through the sorrow of losing her friend to time, there was so much mystery surrounding the power of the Luminary that it didn’t do her well to linger on the issue.Now Tifa faced a dilemma that held no such mystery, as the pang in her heart strengthened with every goodbye said to their friends. The looming inevitability of Aerith going back to a kingdom she was destined to rule and leaving Tifa forever, left her desperate.Tifa already knew what she felt. She couldn’t leave her. It couldn’t be an option after everything they’d gone through. There was something about her—about them. Something that she knew she did not want to let go of quite yet. Leaving their other friends in their respective towns was hard enough. How was she now supposed to leave someone she’d realized she had never wanted to ever be away from again?Aerith, surprisingly, decided for her. They’d just left Barret in Midgar and were heading out the next day to bring Yuffie home. It happened that evening when deciding Tifa was to go back to Nibelheim last and Aerith would meet a caravan from her kingdom there that could escort her to the City of the Ancients.The incredibly vivid metallic city of Midgar shined its lights through the small inn window the two women shared. A cloudless starry night could be seen in the distance. It was a peaceful visage until Aerith sat up abruptly, surprised to find Tifa also not sleeping.“Can I stay with you?” Aerith asks unsure.The blanket slipped from Tifa’s shoulders. “What do you mean?” She fought back a grimace when the words came out too harsh.“I’d like to come with you back to Nibelheim...and stay. If that’s all right with you.”Was it this easy? Was Gaia rewarding her for all her hard work and sacrifice?“Why?”The question was so simple but Tifa could tell it caught Aerith off guard. Was she not expecting Tifa to question it? Should she have? Was she already ruining this?“Honestly?” She swallowed hard and turned her face to her. They stared at each other for a prolonged moment as Aerith seemed to be gathering her courage. “I don’t know if I can bear to leave you.”“Me?”Aerith nodded.“But your—the queen?” Tifa honestly can’t believe the words coming from her mouth. She could hear her pitch rising as her face got hot. “Isn’t she expecting you? And what about your mom here?”She waved a hand dismissively. “I visited her yesterday when you were out with Marlene. She knew a day like this may come when I’d find something about my past as a Cetra that’d take me from Midgar. She only told me to visit her at least twice a year.” She rolled her eyes. “As if I’d not try to visit her as often as possible.”That brought a smile to Tifa’s face. She loved Mrs. Gainsborough from the little time she’d spent in her presence. Aerith had endless stories about growing up with her.“As for Ifalna…” Aerith paused. “I don’t know. But I’ve lived this long without knowing about her.” She crossed her arms and her brow furrowed. “I’m not putting her off forever. Leaving Midgar with you all was the first time I ever explored the world. I can’t be expected to just give that up and sequester myself completely into a kingdom I know next to nothing about. I’m sure she’ll understand. I planned to discuss it with her if we went back to your home.” Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “And I’m still not really used to the idea that I’m a…”“A princess?”“Not just a princess. The princess,” she exasperated, flopping back on the bed. The sheets flattened where Aerith palmed the material. She sighed wistfully. “Lost princess of a people lost to time…”“Are you sure your kingdom will—?” She stopped short when noticing Aerith frown a little.Aerith turned her eyes away. The material of bed sheets twisted in her hands. “It’s all right if you say no. I get it if I’m being pushy. My mom used to say I was a little ambitious as a kid. I’m sure she meant another word. But I guess I never grew out of it. It is your home after all and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t start to pick up the pieces of my own...”“No, no! It’s—,” Tifa wondered why she was fighting the issue so much. She grabbed Aerith’s hand and pulled her upright so they were face to face. “Please. Stay with me.”Aerith’s hair swept over her shoulder with the sudden motion. Her eyes glowed bright in the night. “Are you sure?”“More than.” She hesitated then sat up on the bed and reached for Aerith’s other hand. The atmosphere grew heavy. The implication of her words wasn’t lost on them. Aerith herself seemed to glow, and like a moth to a flame, Tifa slowly leaned in. “I don’t think I could stand to be away from you,” she whispered.The door to their room ripped open. The aging hinges squeaked terribly—in need of a good oiling. Aerith’s hands immediately started to glow; eyes calculated and searching. Tifa was on her feet in an instant. Her toes dug into the mattress ready for an attack from any angle.Yuffie stood in the doorway. Dark circles under her eyes; hair wildly stuck out in three different directions. Her voice was sleep-ridden and scratchy. “Either kiss or shut up. Some of us are trying to sleep.” The younger girl gave the two women the nastiest glare she could muster. The three of them exchanged no words until Yuffie slammed the door causing Tifa and Aerith to yelp and fall back on the mattress.Aerith threw back her head in laughter. Tifa weakly followed suit, heart still hammering in her chest.The next morning they set off for Wutai with Yuffie eyeing the two older women with mischievous scrutiny the whole way. Tifa tried to ignore her while Aerith was seemingly unbothered. They reached Wutai without incident…if Tifa could call Yuffie goading them every half hour “without incident”.“So are you guys dating?” Yuffie slyly let slip as Tifa said her goodbye.She balked. “Yuffie!”The younger girl peaked around the door and waved to Aerith waiting at the gate of the city. “I believe in you Aerith!” Aerith waved back confused.Tifa patted Yuffie’s head and started walking off. “Okay, I’m saying bye. Don’t be too much trouble for your grandfather but I see that’s already impossible. We won’t be back soon.”“Yeah yeah, you’ll be back. Don’t keep your girl waiting!” She cackled loudly while Tifa speed-walked away.They followed the same paths they once did as a larger group but at a more leisurely pace. Stopping at all roadside excitements and detours. There was a peaceful quality added to just be in each other’s presence.Aerith spun around with a laugh. “I didn’t realize how exciting something as simple as just traveling without impending doom would be.”Tifa laughed with her. “Impending doom is a bit of a downer.”“You know what I’m excited about?” She leans forward with a sparkle in her eyes. “To go to your hometown. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Midgar but there’s something so special about the world outside of the city, ya know? I’m sad our adventures never took us in that direction. Didn’t you miss it?”“Cloud and I traveled so much after discovering he was the Luminary, there was really no need to go back. It wouldn’t’ve been safe for anyone there. It was better that way. But to answer your question, yeah, I miss it a lot,” She thought of the age of her youth before destiny called them. Tea parties by the river, nights by the water tower, running up the mountains in the early morning to catch the sunrise. “The mountains are a beautiful sight in the mornings. There’s a lovely spot I can take you, if you want.”“Yeah?”“I used to go all along the trail up the mountains when I was young. I know all the spots.”“Secret spots?”“There’s a few,” Tifa said suggestively, making Aerith giggle.“You weren't scared of monsters?”Tifa shook her head. “I trusted my abilities. Zangan's trust in my aptitude had me train as hard as I could from a young age. There wasn’t much I couldn’t handle by the time I was a teenager.”Aerith’s eyes sparkled. “Talk about confidence.”“More like overconfidence.” She rolled her eyes. “But it was futile in the end. Fate, I guess, is strange that way. Cloud became the Luminary and suddenly everything made sense. Zangan saw my potential from early on and made sure I was equipped to be the one to protect Cloud in the end.” And fate made sure she couldn’t protect him in the end anyway…but she kept that to herself.“You dislike the idea of fate?”Tifa’s pace slowed. “If I accept it as true then what does that mean for the choices I’ve made or the things we’ve witnessed?”“I guess…” Aerith leaned forward into Tifa’s personal space and placed a hand over her forearm. “Are we fate?”Her stride faltered. If not for Aerith’s grip she would have tripped. “What?”She shrugged nonchalantly. “If fate gave you your prowess and brought you to be the Luminary’s protector then that same fate brought all of us together.” Aerith eyed her pointedly. “How else would we have met if not fate?”“So fate did this to us all?”“Don’t sound so negative,” she said with an airy laugh. “Sure I died and we lost Cloud to a past we’ll never know…but it's brought us this far. It brought peace to Gaia in our time.” She paused. A faraway look shadowed her eyes. Her voice turned grave. “It brought us to each other…but we don’t have much time left. You have to be ready.”Before Tifa could ask what she meant, Aerith hooked their arms together and pulled her along, changing the topic.As they continued their travel west, Tifa contemplated Aerith’s mysterious words and the harrowing tone that cloaked them and why Tifa felt so scared to discover their meaning. Aerith clung to her with greater purpose after that conversation. She wouldn’t stop touching Tifa for any little excuse. Always asked for her opinion before doing anything. It was like desperation was fueling her behavior but Tifa couldn’t figure out what warranted that desperation. So she said nothing.A few more days of travel brought them to the edge of an overhanging cliff near the coast where they would take the ferry that would lead them across the Meridian Ocean.Tifa watched the gentle sea breeze blow Aerith’s hair about her face and send the ends of her skirt waving around her. Her eyes held laborious melancholy as if she was trying to pierce the distance far away beyond the shores and further beyond the known planet. Then she turned her head, feeling her gaze, and smiled.Tifa breathed deeply. There was nothing like the salty air. “I can’t believe how far we’ve already traveled. Feels like last week we were dropping off Yuffie.”Aerith hums. “Must be easier without everyone else. Less dallying.”“Barret does love to dally.” Tifa shielded her eyes against the sun and pointed in the direction of the distant coastal city. Its shores were barely visible from their vantage. “But even he can’t deny that view.”“You’re so lucky,” Aerith said wistfully after a long moment of companionable silence. “How long have you lived here?”Tifa waited a beat for a correction but it never came. Aerith stared at her with anticipation. “You mean Nibleheim?”Green eyes fell back to the ocean vista, not really focusing on it. “Yeah…what did I say?” She let out a nervous laugh. “Whew, maybe this sun is getting to me.”In that moment, there was a part of Tifa that knew she should have said something—should have spoken up and confronted Aerith then and there. Maybe it wouldn’t have gotten to the point that it did. But within ten seconds, Aerith grabbed her hand and pulled her close. An exceedingly sad look shaded her eyes and before she could react, Aerith leaned forward and kissed Tifa’s cheek, catching the corner of her lips as well. It was a beautiful distraction and the warmth lingered long after they continued their journey.That moment was never brought up again but in her heart, Tifa knew something was wrong.Tifa had a curious tendency to hint at things rather than saying them outright, so as not to impose on others. But she felt this particular skill was about to be tested to its limits.They originally agreed on passing through Costa del Sol in order to get to Nibleheim faster but Aerith, hit by some sort of inspiration, suggested a specialty sweets tour around the seaside city. Tifa noticed that same kind of desperation she’d witnessed back at the Cetra’s temple seemingly so long ago. Why there was a sudden resurgence of it, Tifa couldn’t be sure. It was like Aerith was afraid of something and that fear dictated these sudden decisions. But the refreshing sea breeze and warming sun made for a perfect prolonged stop on their travels so she couldn’t fault the idea.“Around the coast?” Tifa finished settling their tab at the inn. “Of course. I’d love to.”“Fantastic! It’s a date!” Aerith wasted no time reaching for Tifa’s hand and leading her out of the lobby and onto the streets of the vacation town.Tifa couldn’t help the leisurely smile on her face at Aerith’s enthusiasm. Arriving in Costa del Sol was certainly less stressful than the first time. There was no mounting pressure behind them. No rush to continue their mission or obligation to help the city in whatever crisis it faced. They were just two women enjoying their time and company together.Aerith steered them toward a small cafe to try first. Tifa recognized it as a local hotspot the first time they arrived.She pursed her lips as they took their seats. “I have to say it…do you find it a little strange we’re not here with anyone else? I mean, I can only imagine if we were still with the group how this would play out. You know how Yuffie gets when we leave her out of activities.”“Oh, I know exactly what you mean but call me selfish because you’re all I want.” Aerith made an embarrassed noise. “What I mean to say is, I love everybody but you’re more than enough right now.”Tifa pointedly ignored the way her heart fluttered in her chest at the other woman’s boldness. She leaned in conspiringly. “Don’t let Yuffie know I told you, but just now when we were in Wutai, she ate all the filled buns her dad made for us before I even finished brewing our tea! Then she blamed it on me when her dad scolded her!”“Sounds like her,” Aerith laughed. “I see why you were so tense before when we left.”“No, that was—,”“What?”“Nothing. You’re right. That girl sure is something…”“Well, I promise not to mention it. In fact, I’ve already forgotten.” She sighed whimsically looking around the shop. “This place is cute. I wonder if they have any special items.”“I’m…hungry,” Tifa said absentmindedly while glancing at the menu. She wondered what Aerith would order so she could pick something different they could both share but grew frustrated when she couldn’t make that simple assessment. What did Aerith like?“Isn’t it kind of funny?” Aerith suddenly asked.“How so?”“That we’ve traveled so long together but don’t know basic things about each other.”Did she say that out loud? Tifa shifted her focus to her friend, masking her astonishment at her scary intuition. “How do you mean?”“Our adventure has been about these big reveals. Cloud being the Luminary, you realized you were raised to be his guardian. I’m a lost princess of the Cetra. Big things.” She rubbed her hands against the sides of her dress. “I don’t even know if you like to read. Or what your favorite food is. These feel like basic things that have been brushed over for the sake of the mission, you know? Even now, traveling together, it’s like we’re still strangers.”Tifa smiles sadly at the specific word choice. “Okay, so let’s change that. Fire away.”Aerith adjusted her posture excitedly. “What’s your name?”Tifa waited for the punchline. “Oh…Tifa Lockhart.”Aerith smiled brightly. “Pleasure to meet you Tifa. I’m Aerith, long lost princess of the Kingdom of the Cetra. My ideal type is a person like the hero of a romance novel. I hope to one day open a flower shop in Midgar…though that seems like an impossibility nowadays. What else?” She bit her bottom lip. “Let’s see, I like to think I have a nicely shaped forehead and my favorite book is A Ripple On the Lifestream of Love.”Tifa nodded her head appreciatively. “Can’t say I’ve ever read it.”“You’re not missing out,” Aerith let out a breath. “It’s such a trashy novel. I love it! It’s about this woman who finds out she was brought back to life. Or…maybe she was a vampire? Anyway, the love of her life continued on in the Lifestream. So the woman heads to Mideel in an effort to find her lost love. Or maybe it’s the other way around?” She pauses. “I could also be mixing up this other book called The Color of My Lifestream. They’re eerily similar. It’s been so long since I’ve read it. I can’t really…remember what happened.”Tifa noticed that same faraway look in her eye. Aerith’s face incrementally fell the longer she contemplated. Then all at once she came back to herself and smiled as if nothing had happened. She continued, “I’m confident in the strength of my legs. Though after meeting you all I’m not so sure I can call that something I value. Other than that, I can sleep almost anywhere, much to the bane of my mother when I was a kid. And I like string instruments.” She looked at Tifa expectantly.“Me?” She straightened in her seat and cleared her throat. “Well, I don’t have many interests except my fighting. Traveling with Zangan and Cloud for so long made me appreciate the life cultivated for me even more. Seeing and experiencing different towns and kingdoms I think only made me a better person. So I have a definite appreciation for Gaia and the ways in which we can affect each other’s lives. I do miss having a nice tea party though.” Tifa leaned forward, suddenly into the game. “What about, from every place we’ve visited what has been your favorite food or dessert?”“The most delicious sweet? What a question.” Aerith thought for a moment. “The cakes in Rocket Town were so fluffy and scrumptiously spongy. It was the one time I trusted Cid’s judgment. Oh, but the herb-filled buns in Cosmo Canyon so superbly matched the tea there with their sweetness.” She sighed, lost in the memory of delectable food. “Each and every town had its own unique cuisine, and I couldn’t choose, they were all the best! Oh, just thinking about them is making me drool! Goodness, Aerith, you’re embarrassing yourself…”“It’s cute.”Aerith smiled bashfully. “This is so fun. Okay, what else?”“All right, If you could trade places with anyone for a day who would it be?”“You know,” Aerith rhythmically tapped her fingers on the table, “I’ve actually put a lot of thought into this while we were traveling. I’d choose either Cloud or Barret.”“Bold choices! One more than the other?”She hummed. “Maybe Cloud?”“The allure of the Luminary got you?” Tifa chuckled.“How could it not?”“Aside from the sword swinging, is your magic so different?”“Quite so! Cloud holds so much power within him I’m astonished at what he can do sometimes. I mean case and point,” she gestured to her entire body. “I don’t know if I’d be able to resurrect anyone.”“I’m sure you could.”“Time will tell. Isn’t that what people say? Anyway, though we have our differences, when we were traveling I never felt as if I was falling behind at any point. The skill one needs to utilize that gun in his arm is inspiring.”Tifa’s eyes furrowed. “You mean sword?”“Hm?”“You meant sword. Barret had a gun.”She looked unconvinced. “Right…what did I say?”“It’s fine,” Tifa brushed it off. Something in her eyes unsettled her but this wasn’t the place for confrontation. “I think what you can do is beautiful.” She changed tactics, trying to catch Aerith’s eyes. “That is to say I really admire your power. But what is it that you’d want to do if you were him?”Aerith concentrated hard. Tifa almost wanted to tell her not to think so hard as it was just an off-handed question. It was honestly kind of endearing that she put so much effort into answering her question. But she still couldn’t shake that strange unnerving instance.“I’d like to try fighting with Yuffie. They always seem to have such playful snarky matches, it makes me want to join in the fun too. I’d like to see how it feels to say something like, ‘Are you some kind of idiot?’ I bet it’d be really cathartic.”Tifa can’t help but giggle at her answer. “You do a great Cloud impression.”Again Aerith got that faraway look in her eyes and then smiled curiously. “Who is Cloud?”“What?” They’re interrupted before Tifa can push further. Their waiter approached and set a buffet of food on the table.He enthusiastically clapped his hands together. There was a glint of familiarity in his gaze. “This is all courtesy of our humble little shop. Fresh from the oven!” He laughed heartily. “Anything for the heroes of our city! We’re so pleased you came to visit so don’t be embarrassed to let me know if you need anything else.”“That’s so kind of you!” Aerith easily matched his energy. “Thank you so much!”“Of course! Don’t hesitate to call on us now.” He left them with a jovial wave.Aerith wiggled in her seat, a proud smile on her face. “He called us heroes.”Tifa chuckled lightly, still not used to the gratitude aimed at their deeds. “I guess we should expect that everywhere we go now.”“Why?”“What do you mean?”“Why should we expect it? Why did he call us heroes?”A muscle in Tifa’s cheek twitched. “Aerith…”It only got worse after that day so Tifa purposefully decided to backtrack to Midgar, booking passage on an airship to get there faster. Aerith gave no pushback which should have been a huge red flag but Tifa was so stuck in her head that noticing it fell to the wayside.It was frustrating because nothing about Aerith was different. She laughed the same. She joked the same. Her personality was unchanged. Just…that far-away look in her eyes popped up with increasing frequency and the implication of it scared Tifa every time she caught sight of it.Tifa knew well the kind of struggles the other woman endured. They’d talked about it in the past.Leaving her mother and only home to go on a quest thinking it’d be all she’d need to feel peace from the whispers of the Cetra. Knowing in her heart as an ancestor of the ancient race it was what she had to do. Dying because of that unspoken pact to protect the power of the Luminary, being resurrected, and then finding out her biological mother was still alive. A mother who ruled an entire kingdom that was flourishing and waiting for its heir to return. Now supposedly losing her memory alongside all that.It was cruel.Tifa settled at the table across from Barret. They watched Aerith and Marlene tend over a small patch of flowers along the roadside. Aerith pointed out their different names and associated meanings while Marlene gave her undivided attention.“How much is she forgetting?” Barret asked.Tifa closed her eyes, willing the constant headache at the back of her head to dissipate. “Too much. At first, it was just a few nonsequential things. She didn’t remember people’s names or little details of our journey. Then it got bigger. What town we were in or why we were together. Then forgetting everything about her mom still being alive and the fact that she has a whole kingdom to rule.” She buried her head in her hands and groaned. “It seems to come back but—,”“It’s not good regardless.”“Honestly…I don’t think I’ve actually realized how long it’s been happening. I keep thinking back and I’ll remember her looking at something with a puzzled expression and then just jump out of it. Then another moment will pop in my head that was even farther before then.” Tifa stared at Aerith and felt the pinprick of tears begin to form at the corner of her eyes. “You don’t think it’s because of what Cloud did, do you?”Barret shrugged his shoulders. “Could be. He’s the one who brought her back. Now he’s gone back in time. She’s Cetra. Maybe her connection is tied to him. Wasn’t that place built by her ancestors or something?” He groans. “All this damn magic is confusing.”An awful thought plagued her. “You think that’s going to happen to all of us?”“Can’t say.” His face was stoic but Tifa knew he was also thinking it. “We saved Gaia but left a few scars for sure. Maybe it affects Aerith differently than us.”“What? You think being a Cetra is causing this?“Your guess is as good as mine.”“Fate brought us together…” Tifa mumbled, thinking back to their conversation by the coast. She looked at Barret pleadingly. “What do I do? I feel like she kind of knows…but do I tell her?”“You’ve gone to healers here?” Tifa nodded. “I don’t know, Teef. Maybe just be with her.”“I’m scared she’ll wake up one day and not know who I am.”Barret placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “If it was me, I’d want to know.”“I don’t know if I can do that to her.”That night an itchy restlessness had Tifa pacing alongside Barret’s dining table as Aerith followed her with her eyes.Seven strides. The table was exactly seven strides long no matter how many times she rounded it. Irritably, Tifa made herself stop keeping tally and sat down across from Aerith, no longer able to ignore the woman’s silent stare.“We should take an airship tomorrow,” said Aerith before Tifa could broach the subject. “They may have answers if no one else does.”“They?” Tifa asked, already knowing the answer.“I don’t really see any other option.”A look of defeated acceptance crossed her face that Tifa almost missed. Her brow furrowed, Aerith’s word choice bothered her. “How long have you known?”She didn’t answer. “Promise we’ll stop in a few towns along the way. Say hi to everyone.”Tifa wanted to shout. They’d sacrificed so much. Brought her back to life. Cloud had—. “Since the temple? You’ve known since then?” Again, Aerith didn’t answer.The next several days were surprisingly calming. There was less urgency despite the situation seemingly at its most dire. Aerith’s mellow composure stopped Tifa from feeling like the world was ending even if that’s what it felt like to her. She wasn’t sure if Aerith had simply accepted her fate or if she had some greater understanding unknown to Tifa but she’d stay by her side regardless.Their travels brought them all around Gaia, meeting with their scattered friends and allowing Aerith a few lasting days with them. For Aerith, it was a tour around the world in the last moments she’d still have her memory. For Tifa, it became a desperate attempt to keep her friend with her as long as possible. It was hard to watch the other woman lose so much of herself yet outwardly show no difference. Her smile never faltered when conversing with their friends. Her jokes stuck with the same awkward intrigue. Her laugh still made Tifa’s heart flutter in her chest.But it was mainly the eyes that gave her away. A pair that once held a mischievous light of glowing green now dulled like a darkened virescent ocean caught in a wayward storm.It took a bit of strong-arm convincing from Tifa but they passed Nibleheim without stopping and made their way to the City of the Ancients. By the time they reached the lost kingdom, Aerith had forgotten the memories she’d just made with their old companions along with significant parts of their past adventures. It took a bit of prompt before Aerith even remembered this place was the Cetra’s home.As Tifa was escorted through the opulent ancient castle toward the throne room, she wasn’t sure she knew what coming here would offer anymore. It felt like everything was already lost.Queen Ifalna was intimidating sitting on her throne in regal dress. Tifa tried to look past the ornate headgear and complicated design of her outfit and all she could see was Aerith. The appeasing smile, the kind attentive eyes. Ifalna was beautiful in a way that only made Tifa’s heart trip over itself confusedly. There was familiarity in her features, allowing Tifa a glimpse at what may come for Aerith in the future.A feeling of calm washed over her. She was here for Aerith. She spoke with steadiness. “Your princess is losing her memory.”“How far has it progressed?” Ifalna stirred, matching Tifa’s trepid gaze. No amount of surprise or shock in her questioning.Tifa looked taken aback then let out a laugh, mirthless and dour. “She already told you...”“My daughter is nothing but mindful of her actions.” She bowed her head. “Quite some time ago she sent a letter detailing what she feared was happening to her.”Tifa had half a mind to turn around and go find Aerith. “What am I here for then? What do I do?”Ifalna’s eyes looked down at her with ruth. “Stay with her. Keep your memory of my daughter even when her’s is gone.”“That’s it?” Tifa balked at the queen’s suggestion. “Is there really nothing you can try as Cetra? Something only your people know.”“I fear my daughter understood her fate from the moment she became aware of it. Our ancestry is different from the rest of our people as Aerith is a direct reincarnation of our most sacred and mythical bloodline. The power of the Luminary awoke something ancient and forgotten in her so nothing like this has ever happened in our history. Now that the Luminary of this time is gone, it is beyond our control.”Tifa dug her foot into the filigreed stonework wishing it would crumble under her foot. Her voice raised as she climbed the first step up toward the seat of the throne. “So you’re saying you anticipated this?”Ifalna stands to her full height, reminding Tifa that while she may be speaking to her as someone who cared for Aerith she was still a queen and demanded respect. Her voice turned grave, “I am telling you our ancestral magic is rarely met without consequence.”“But why her?” All at once Tifa seemed to lose strength in her legs. With shaky knees she plopped down, defeated, on the steps below. “She’s already had to die once,” her voice cracked. “Taking away her memories of her life… It’s cruel.” A minute of silence passed before Ifalna took a careful seat next to her.“I cannot answer why our magics chose her the way they did. Maybe they resonated as such because of her connection to the Luminary. Maybe it was pure chance.” Ifalna let her shoulders drop and, for a brief moment, Tifa could see the bereaved mother underneath the visage of queen. This was a woman who had to give up her daughter for her own safety, find out she died on the way back home after so many years, resurrect, and then find that everything that made her—her memories, her experiences, and everything else was slowly disappearing.Tifa took a moment to center herself. “So I don’t do anything?”“She seems happy with you. Doing nothing is not an absence of action. If the comfort of a loved one is what she desires then who better to grant it. ”Comfort. That’s all Tifa could give.Tifa’s face from that day in the temple, tearstained and pleading, etched itself in Aerith’s head as the two of them were shown to a lavish suite that she vaguely remembered the first time they visited—right after her resurrection. She was sure she slept in this very bed when she awoke in Cloud’s waiting embrace, guided back from the dead. It was nicer than she remembered. She bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a chuckle at the irony.Across the room, Tifa slouched into a wide armchair in the corner. Eyes half closed and the beginnings of a grin on her face. It was a plaintive grin, not amusement. Outwardly she looked like the same Tifa in her mind but less supplicating. There was an onerous acceptance weighing on her shoulders and from time to time she would glance up in Aerith’s direction before looking away. It pained her heart to see the strong woman in such a state because of her.Aeirth took a few measured steps toward her and offered her hand. “C’mon. Let’s go to bed.”Tifa shook her head. “I’m not tired yet.”“Good,” Aerith said pointedly. “Because I’m not either.” She expected Tifa to draw away, proper as ever.She did not. A tense beat passed between them in the quiet. Tifa’s eyes bore into her own, asking a silent question before strong fingers gripped and tightened around Aerith’s hand, pulling her forward until Aerith was straddling her lap on the armchair.She made no move toward anything else…just studied her face. “Aerith, do you…”“Do I what?” She settled her arms around Tifa’s shoulders.“Do you know what you’re forgetting?”She couldn’t help the involuntary devastated shadow that crossed her face. Aerith may have come to terms with what was happening but it didn’t make it any less awful. “I wake up sometimes and it takes me a moment to know where I am. I try not to think about it…but then I’ll look at you and I’m okay.” Her fingers played with the hair at the back of Tifa’s neck. She felt the woman shiver under her touch. “If you’d stay by my side I think I’d be all right.”“I won’t leave you,” she said with conviction.Aerith relaxed and pressed her hips against her then tilted her head for Tifa’s kiss, sweet and deep. Her body was all wired strength and curves, subtle musculature and grace. She tasted of mountain air, of sweat, of a faint residue of the ocean. Aerith almost pulled away when the sensation was too much to bear. Was this cruel? A way to keep Tifa from thinking about the all-important matter of her diminishing memory?Then Tifa pulled her closer. “Stay with me,” she whispered against her lips.Aerith couldn’t help the small chuckle. “Where would I go?” The other woman stiffened for a moment, and Aerith wondered if she’d said the wrong thing.“I still don’t accept this,” Tifa murmured to Aerith, bowing back to temptation, and leaning in for a bruising kiss.For the rest of the night, Aerith tried to hold on to the memory of them like this with all the power she possessed but when they awakened the next morning, Tifa stared into the green eyes of a blank stare.“Who are you?” Aerith asked, her voice tinged with an apprehensive tone.“A friend,” Tifa reassured. “Your friend.”“Oh.” The tight unease fell from her body as if something told Aerith she could implicity trust this woman. She shook her head as if dispelling away a thought. “Sorry, do you remember what I was supposed to be doing here?”Tifa smiled warmly. “Actually, we’re leaving today. I promised to show you my home.”

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Aerith cherishes moments like this, lounging high on a mountaintop, away from the periphery of the Sector. Up here it’s an instance of sincere peace not found often where she can feel closer to the planet than anywhere else.The light from the sun, partially covered by clouds, casts a comforting warmth throughout the valley, giving life to the wildflowers whose sweet aroma tickles her senses. Her hair billows in soft waves as a breeze picks up. The openings of her jacket flap alongside it as if tugged on by invisible strings. The wind rustles the grass and flowers together, creating a symphony of sounds unique to the mountain—a whispering melody only understood by its high-altitude denizens.She kicks her legs outward as they dangle over the cliffside in an attempt to chase the wind and race toward the music—to follow the sound to a secret promised land where the melody is inviolate and infinite.Today the present tune is melancholic—thoughtful and mourning. Aerith frowns as it quickly eases to a denouement.From the side, Tifa reaches to brush an errant hair from her cheek and tuck it behind her ear. The touch of her fingers lingers for a moment and it feels like the wind, lissom and lilting. A mild gaze of crimson eyes bores into her profile. Aerith is sure the pensive droop to her features does nothing but entice the other girl to discover her secrets.“What are you thinking about?” Tifa asks.Aerith hums distractedly, her eyes focus on the horizon. “Nothing really.” She leans back on her hands; soft grass and budding flowers slide playfully between her fingers. “That’s not true,” she adds after a moment. “The reaping yesterday, I guess. That boy...he's probably there by now.” She nods her head out towards Midgar, nestled in the mountain range in all its splendor. “He couldn’t stop crying,” she whispers as an afterthought.She sees Tifa’s jaw clench out of the corner of her eye.“We can’t do anything for him,” Tifa says, her voice tight.Her tone isn't unkind but Aerith knows what talking about the games does to the other girl. They’ve already lost one good friend to the atrocities of them and an unspoken pact formed to limit discussion of the event since. Ignorant bliss being the only method by which they are able to move on with their lives. It’s easier that way. Or worse. Aerith isn’t sure she’s made up her mind on the subject.With a sigh, Aerith plucks a flower from the ground and holds it aloft. The wind picks up again and it slips from her hand, dancing along the breeze, twisting and twirling. It follows the melody of its own unique song. The frown deepens on her face as she watches it float away, hoping it reaches someone in need.“That’s not true,” Aerith says when the flower is almost lost from her view. “He may not know it but we’re here right now—watching over him. That has to be some comfort.”The flower continues its flight until it's barely a speck in the distance.Aerith contemplates her own words. Would it be comforting to know someone was watching over you…just waiting to see if you were going to die? Who would want an audience for that?“I guess,” Tifa concedes. Though Aerith is sure she can’t imagine it.Spying the stormy look on the other girl’s face makes Aerith’s frown vanish. Moments with Tifa were few and far between as of late. She regrets spending a portion of a beautiful day like this wondering about things out of their control.“Will you come up here if my name ever gets called?” Aerith bumps the other girl's shoulder trying to ease the tension. “A pretty girl like you, up on a beautiful mountaintop, with nothing but your memories of us to watch over me with,” she says, fluttering her eyelashes. “I think you’d make a picturesque forlorn lover in dire straits.”“Who are you calling forlorn?” The tightness in Tifa’s shoulder relaxes, thankful for the shift of mood. “But that’s asking a lot. Hiking up here everyday. Shouldn’t I get something out of it?” She bites her bottom lip trying to keep a straight face.Aerith matches her stare. A smolder of sparkling crimson reflects against the sunlight and sends a stutter to her chest. Her breath catches. “Do you need an incentive?”Tifa looks back at her innocently, a pretty pink blush dusts her cheeks as she shrugs. “Couldn’t hurt.”Aerith hums. “You have a lot going for you already.” She slowly closes the distance between them. “What more could you possibly want?” A hair's breadth away, she gets lost in everything that is Tifa.“I’m sure you can think of something,” Tifa whispers, closing the remaining distance.
Day 1
It descends upon the tributes without warning.The arena is absolute darkness. Twenty-four hearts beat in unison, throats tighten. Sound is an immediately acknowledged turncoat.The countdown ends before realization hits her. The harried gasps and rustle of clothing spur stiff joints into action. A harsh shove against her shoulder spins her away from the initial plan of running for refuge to the cornucopia.“Sorry,” a panicked voice mumbles then curses and runs off.Sound is also a beacon.Eyes turn duplicitous as hands evolve with credulity. Smell becomes a distraction and ears strain beyond their limits. Dust and dirt; broken earth coats the throat. Sweat and blood blend into fear.Initially, she thinks it wise not to venture far from the cornucopia but there’s no whisper on the wind calling the morning sun for its moment to rise against the waking horizon. Nothing greets this place. Nothing but the sickening anticipation of a deadly game waiting for its first bloodshed.A cautious mind stews anxiety. Every direction is hidden and none of it feels safe.It’s not until waiting becomes a gamble, antsy at the risk of discovery, that her eyes adjust slightly and the shadows of this year’s setting begin to take shape. A barren metropolis, dilapidated and crumbling, shrouds in complete darkness. Ruins that once rose to the heavens become phantoms of twilight that blend into the background. Sheets of black slither and undulate together, tricking the mind into seeing nonexistent specters.A vicious rumbling from far off suddenly shakes the ground violently. Buildings collapse into further rubble. The falling rocks echo with thunderous impact splitting the unseen road ahead, making already uneven ground that much harder to traverse.The crack of a cannon breaks the panic-stricken atmosphere. Then the stomp of shoes and frantic breaths—close, too close—startle so much that she trips and knocks her head on the pavement. Palms scrape harshly against broken metal and rock in a fool's attempt to lessen the impact. Blood, sticky and viscous, streams down the side of her face obscuring her useless vision but she pays it no attention. She can’t. Giving that even a moment's focus can mean life or death right now.Pain this early is a killer.Fear fuels adrenaline. She starts moving.One foot in front of the other.It’s an awkward stumble every few feet as debris and rubble litter the unseen ground. Scrambling to stay upright grants a plethora of bruises all over. She runs without abandon until the adrenaline wanes and unsteady footfalls resound with terrifyingly loud stomps in the eerie silence.Her right eye shuts when the free-flowing blood becomes too much to bear. Taking refuge in the nearby side street, she pushes up against a mostly intact wall. Stifling her breathing, she waits.One minute. Five minutes. Silence. She rips off a sleeve to fashion a makeshift bandage wrap for her head. She hisses in pain, tightening it into as secure a knot as she can muster.“Damn it.”Her head swivels around the pitch. Deep shadows shift and sway, mocking with their unknown hidden dangers. Rigid joints ache waiting for any slight disturbance—for any sign of another tribute. The seconds grow and stretch in the eternal night as she pushes off and continues.“Where are we going?” Tifa whispers in the darkness.Aerith, brilliant as she is, had the fantastic idea to sneak out of her own house and kidnap her friend in the middle of the night for what she calls a surprise. Tifa, she knows, is skeptical because Aerith and surprise don't normally go hand in hand and rarely end up in her favor.“Up the mountain!” Aerith yells, not caring about the volume of her voice. They’ve left the outskirts of the Sector far in the distance. “I overheard there’s an overlook at the top where you can see Midgar!”“Overheard who? Please don’t tell me it was Jessie.” She checks behind them for any sign of SOLDIER or Shinra's Public Security Corps.“Okay, then I won’t tell you.” Aerith isn’t worried. They’re so far up the mountain ridge already; there’s little motivation for Shinra to patrol around here.“Aerith…” The admonishment is gentle but pointed. “You saw what they did to Barret and he was innocent. I love Jessie but if you overheard her then anyone else could have too. We shouldn’t—.” She lifts her face and deeply breathes in the night air. A hard line in her eyes softens when she looks back to Aerith. “All I’m saying is if we get caught I'm gonna get put in a holding cell and we’ll never see each other again.”“Hold on.” Aerith whirls around. “Why are you the one thrown in holding in this scenario? I’d be just as guilty.”“Simple. I’m going to cut a deal with Shinra and pin it all on myself. No reason both of us should go down. Plus your grandfather practically runs the Sector. You’re immune to trouble.”“You’d sacrifice yourself for me? That’s so sweet.” She places a hand over her heart. “As for never seeing each other again; all the more reason to make the most of the time we have now.”Tifa shakes her head with a laugh. “Why do I ever listen to you?”“That a compliment?” Aerith snickers. “Instead of listening to me, you should be listening to the planet more. It’d save you some stress.”“I guess that’s true for some people.” Tifa rolls her eyes good-naturedly.“Hello! I'm some people.” She holds out her hand. “Nice to meet you!”Tifa shakes it. “Funny, you look like my friend.”“Your friend must be one heck of a gal.” Aerith smiles cheekily and pulls her in close. She catches the subtle darkening in Tifa’s cheeks and smiles wider. “You know how I know?”“How?”She leans in closer and whispers, “Because the planet told me.”“The planet can talk to me if it wants to so bad,” Tifa huffs and digs her heels in the dirt, pulling away from her friend. The ground gives way with little effort. “Should we take a break? I can’t imagine your legs are used to this kind of abuse. You’ve been holding back a grimace for the last half mile and even mine are starting to ache.”“Don’t underestimate me! I’ve been working my butt off lately. Can’t let you be the only one with stamina in this relationship.” Aerith reaches over to hook her arm through Tifa’s, biting back a groan as a subtle ache in her calf spikes. She turns her head to the side lest Tifa notice and call her out. “C’mon, don’t you want to see the city lit up at night?”“Not really,” Tifa grumbles. “Who cares about Midgar? Why all the sudden interest in seeing the city?”There’s a subtle spark of interest in the other girl’s eyes opposite of her words that Aerith easily picks up on. “Just think of it like an adventure. I promise it’ll be special. You know,” she adds, “they say there’s a permanent green haze over the city because of the reactors. It’s supposed to light up the horizon.”“Gotta take life's wonders where you get them,” Tifa concedes.“That’s the spirit! My mom told me to make every moment we have left on the planet special. We only get to live so long and who's to say that everything won’t change tomorrow.”“Your mom is a romantic.”Aerith snorts. “You haven’t turned your back on me yet. So what does that make you, Ms. Lockhart?”Tifa spins Aerith around so they’re face to face. She grins impishly. “Not your mom...”“Thank the planet for that…”Drawn to one another, they simultaneously lean in but before their lips touch, Tifa pulls away and sprints up the rest of the unmarked path.The sudden loss of warmth stutters Aerith’s reaction before she petulantly realizes she’s alone. “You jerk! Wait! Don't just…run off on your own.”Laughter follows them all the way up the mountain.
Day 2
Where darkness should be a comfort—signifying a time for rest and slower moments, it warps itself into a show of malicious torment birthed by cynical minds while in the arena. The body aches and tires rapidly due to the constant state of duress. The senses work in overdrive assessing illusionary threats with every cautious step taken. Every minute sound garners a flinch and tightening of muscles, tensing in anticipation of a fight.There’s a hypnotic quality to the darkness while traversing through it. Time is completely bereft, losing all of its limitations. The only indication that time has passed is the growing pang of hunger and thirst. Hopeless trepidation emerges as the only nurturant. The collation of creeping frustration is enough to help push aside the anguish until the point it’ll mature into something unignorable.“I’m…hungry," she whispers to the darkness, hoping without hope some bleeding heart spectator will hear it and take pity on her.By the end of the second day, or at least what feels like the second, sleep does not come easily. At least seven cannon shots have fired since the start of the games. Not a comforting number of dwindling tributes but it widens the traveling net of safety. Call it pure luck that she hasn’t come across any of the other children but that, in and of itself, is a small victory when the angst of surviving the day seems the greater threat. What was another tribute to her, when anxiety and fear cut worse?The streets remain bathed in shadow. Her throat burns and weakens her mind. Direction has no meaning. She longs for the embrace of someone she fears she’ll never see again...but even that is something too exhausting to think about.Aerith is cognizant of the fact that it is too early in the morning to be hanging off the side of a house…but wasting another moment of the day is a worse offense in her opinion. Wrapping her knuckles hard enough against the glass of Tifa’s window to rob her attention out from a deep sleep, increases in difficulty the more she strains to keep herself attached to the windowsill. Tifa’s room is on the second story, making the effort all the more taxing.Finally the blurred silhouette of her girlfriend slumps out of bed and raises a hand to whisk the lace curtains aside. Her face holds the suspicion that she knows exactly whose face she would find on the other side of the clear glass. And after the fog of sleep lifts, Tifa crosses her arms and pettishly stares at the sleep thief.With a wide smile Aerith motions for her to open the window. Tifa complies, unfastening the latch and slowly pushing outward so as not to wake her father.“Good morning,” Aerith says with an innocent grin.“Good morning.” Tifa looks over her shoulder to spy how she made it to the second story. “Can’t remember the last time you climbed up here,” she praises, helping the other girl inside.“Thankfully you let me in so quickly. I was gonna have to start singing,” she gleefully threatens.“You're going to do it anyway.” Her voice is laden with sleep. A yawn escapes as Tifa falls back into her bed, desperately trying to chase the edges of dreamland…but sing Aerith does. It’s a pretty tune with a soft melody. It almost lulls her back to sleep completely if not for the very specific, very vulgar, lyrics that have Tifa scrambling to put her hand over Aerith’s mouth.“Are you crazy?” The telltale signs of embarrassment are apparent on her reddening cheeks.“Only crazy about you.” Aerith’s eyebrows wiggle as she gracefully plops down next to the other girl.“In that case. I have a suggestion.” Tifa playfully tries to push her back out the window.“No no no no no!” Aerith squeals as the other girl attempts to tickle her sides. She dives deeper into the bed wrapping herself in its blankets. Tifa pulls on them with little effort, easily unraveling her. They tumble on the bed where playful wrestling quickly takes a turn toward intentional grabbing and squeezing.There’s a knock on the door. A deep muffled voice calls from the other side. “Tifa?”Both girls freeze. Tifa clears her throat.“Yeah, Dad?”“You okay in there? You’re usually not up this early,” Mr. Lockhart says through the door.“I’m good. Just…working out?”There’s a moment of silence before he faintly sighs. “Well, I wanted to let you know I’m heading across town today so please remember to eat and don’t skip dinner.”“Will do.”“All right, honey. I’ll see you later. Make sure she eats a decent meal, okay, Aerith?”Tifa buries her head in her hands as Aerith bites the inside of her cheek too hard then remembers she should respond.“You can count on me, Mr. Lockhart!”He chuckles wryly. “You girls have fun.”“Bye Dad…”"So…” Aerith starts after a dreadful minute of silence waiting for the front door to shut.Tifa closes her eyes. “I’m never living this down.”“We’ll be fine. If we can survive my mom catching us in my room that one time, then your dad has already forgotten it.” A devilish smile curls on her lips at Tifa’s abject embarrassment. “It honestly could’ve been worse,” she says dismissively. “My dress wasn’t even all the way off this time.”Tifa grabs a pillow and smothers her face into it, a string of curses can barely be made out. The pillow then gets harmlessly thrown in Aerith’s direction. “How are you not still mortified about that?”“Oh, c’mon. It was two years ago.” Aerith snuggles herself in the crook of Tifa’s neck. She hums, content. “You gotta admit it’s a hilarious story. My mom still talks about it.”Tifa shoots up. “Your mom still—! No wonder she hasn’t looked at me the same since.”“She adores you.”“At least someone does.” She pulls her knees to her chest and buries her head in them. “I don’t know you anymore.”“Wow,” Aerith laughs airily. “I forget how grumpy you are in the morning.” The bed dips as she sits up. “Shall we mosey on over?”Tifa peaks her head to the side. “You haven’t even told me why you’re here.”Aerith looks at her in betrayal. “You promised we’d spend the day at the overlook before the reaping next week!”“Today?”Aerith pouts. “What happened to all that romantic talk about how it may be the last time we’ll get to spend together so we should make it count?” She attempts a poor imitation of Tifa’s voice. “Your sincerity had me convinced!”“I was copying you. It’s not my fault you find your own words thrown back at you romantic.”“Sorry I know what I like? My mom told me to never let go of the way I find joy in everything.”Tifa scoots forward and lets her head fall against the other girl’s shoulder. “We almost got caught last time.”Aerith shrugs nonchalantly. “So we got a little overzealous. Big deal.”“I admit it was my idea but…” She laughs without mirth. “Knocking out a transformer. I’d call that a little more than overzealous. I saw four different patrols around there yesterday.”“There’s always patrols—.”“SOLDIER patrols. First Class.”“So they’re a bit paranoid? Professional bad guys. Gotta love 'em. Where’s the girl who kicked that boy in the face so hard he flew ten feet after he called me names?”“She doesn’t want any more of Shinra’s thugs hanging around either of our houses,” she pauses. “And it wasn’t ten feet. It’s not my fault he tripped over his friend.” She shakes her head. “Aerith, I’m putting my foot down. This is serious. We shouldn’t go back there. Not until things calm down here.”They have a tense staredown before Aerith purses her lips in a cute pout and turns on the charm. She lightly slides her hand up Tifa’s bare arm, leaving rising flesh in her wake. “Where's your sense of adventure?”Tifa gawps at her. “Sorry, not gonna work.” The words are said a bit shakily but she holds steady. “There’s no way you can convince me.”“No way? You should choose your words more carefully.” Aerith sneaks a chaste kiss, catching Tifa off guard. “Also,” she grins, “you underestimate me.”Tifa narrows her eyes. “What did you do?”“Personally? Nothing.”“Find that hard to believe,” Tifa mumbles.Aerith ignores that and covers her heart in a solemn promise. “One of the reactors is down—something about the mountain on fire or something, I don’t know. Jessie was vague on the details. My guess is, it’s where your dad was heading to.” She stands and starts rummaging through Tifa’s closet. “The point is, it’s all the way on the other side of the Sector. Everyone important is over there right now panicking because a Midgar rep is on the way, so that means we,” she emphasizes by handing an outfit to Tifa, “are free and clear to do whatever we want.” She whispers the last part while teasingly lifting her sleep shirt.“Enough.” She clumsily pushes Aerith’s hands away. “Fine. Just let me get ready. I’ll meet you downstairs.”A wicked grin shapes Aerith's face. She kisses both of Tifa’s cheeks, then her lips for good measure, and heads out the room. “Wear something cute for me!”Tifa resists the urge to slam the door shut but can’t help a smile when Aerith’s laughter echoes down the hall.
Day 3
There’s nothing more to hold on to. Wretched hallucinations trap her mind in a constant state of fear. By the end of the third day, she’s made little to no ground, passing out when the fatigue and starvation become overwhelming.Every visible shade of black writhes and ripples indescribable agonies behind her eyes. Part of her knows what she imagines is false; the other contemplates giving herself over to the horrors altogether. It’s pathetic, she thinks, to die in the games this way.The pure strength of her will coupled with the fear of being discovered motivates her to move. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get very far.Her eyes are bleary. Dark spots—darker than her surroundings—move in the corners of her vision. A ringing in her ears is deafening. Her body is weak. Any shred of hope she held has diminished.She’ll die here.She thinks she hears a cannon in the distance before she collapses again.A grassy mountainside blooming with wildflowers pervades her dreams but that too slowly wilts away. Only decay and death remain.There’s a crackle over the loudspeaker. “Tifa Lockh—!”Crimson eyes blankly search the stage curious why no one is walking up. Again the name is called. More heads turn to stare at the stage, same as Tifa. There’s harsh feedback from the mic making several people wince at the sharp sound.Tifa idly places a hand over her heart, wondering why it’s beating so fast. The speaker crackles to life again but she misses the announcement. It’s hard to concentrate with the sudden incessant ringing in her ears. She thought, if anyone, the Shinra Electric Power Company would make better electrical equipment.No one is looking at the stage anymore. All eyes have turned in her direction. Various degrees of pity and relief are clearly evident in their gazes. Tifa wants to know who told them that’s okay to do. Someone’s life is about to end.A small circle forms as the immediate people around her back away. She’s never spoken to these people in her life. If her ears weren’t ringing she’d yell at them to mind their own business—to look somewhere else. Maybe go fix that stupid speaker.“Ti—.”There’s movement behind her. The ringing in her ears gets louder.“—ifa!” Someone grabs her forearm. It’s like ice. A shock to her system…but the touch is familiar. The comfort it brings is only slightly grounding.She turns her head to them but the motion takes an infinite amount of time and none at all. Her vision swims and she can’t make out who is touching her. That’s when Tifa realizes she’s crying. The blurry face says something else but she can’t make out the words through all the ringing.Her head hurts. A soft hand cradles her cheek. It’s hard to breathe. A debilitating impotence seeps into her veins, sapping her strength.Eventually, a couple of Public Security Corps interrupt them and guide her up the stage. The speaker sounds even worse this close to it. There's commotion to the left of the stage and Tifa thinks she can hear her dad’s voice. He sounds desperate. Pleading? Or maybe it’s her mom crying?Except…that’s silly because her mom has been dead for years.Tifa stands on stage facing the crowd. The ringing stops.
Day 4
The ground quakes. Building exteriors break and smash onto the ground. Tifa’s eyes fly open. The ends of an explosion reverberate in the distance following a shockwave of pure pressure that slams against her prone body. Before she can gather her meager bearings, a gale force of wind knocks all breath from her lungs. Her limbs shake. Her insides feel dislodged and out of place.The ensuant rumbling lasts quite a long time—enough time for Tifa to just break through her moribund daze and weakly push herself up on her knees. The movement births a tinny ringing in her ears. Her head pounds with a strong thud.A coherent thought barely forms before another explosion rocks the foundation of the area around her. This time Tifa sees it and can only describe it as a mutated strike of lightning. Her heart stutters; it’s the first bit of light she’s seen in days. The white-hot streak burns her eyes for half a second but it still grants a show of her surroundings.The rickety ruins of the destroyed city peel back any sense of safety they give in the darkness. Tifa takes note that she is currently hidden on the street between two smaller structures before another explosion goes off, lighting the space once again in a brilliant flare of white.Meager clarity of the arena yields nothing but a sinking awareness of how exposed she is but her focus wanes as her vision swims. The spark of adrenaline, giving her a small amount of stamina, rapidly fades. She sways forward barely catching herself. The unhealed scratches on her palms burn.A rapid succession of cannon fire goes off signaling the ended life of three more tributes. It’s a small consolation against the pounding in her skull that pulses through her entire body. She tries to think.There hasn’t been too much action in the games during the instances she wasn’t out cold but Tifa fears it may have reached the period where the gamemakers were in the midst of changing that. She doesn’t have a lot of time to think what that means for her when the sound of quick footfalls catches her ears. Her stomach bottoms out—blood turns to ice. The footsteps, as far as she can tell, are racing in the opposite direction of the blast—right towards her. They stop for a tense minute then slowly shuffle in her direction.She’s been noticed.Tifa wants to cry but she’s too debilitated to even do that. She manages to press her back against a nearby wall, freeing her arms, trying to blend herself further into the shadows and make her less vulnerable.A darker moving shadow steps into her view, stopping just shy of her. Hazy details of her adversary make it clear they are another tribute. Tifa tries to sit up to better defend herself but her head faints with the quick movement. No amount of adrenaline can save her. The dizziness is overwhelming.Then she feels something cool and wet pressing against her mouth.Water.She chokes on the first sip but greedily gulps down the rest, forgetting about any impending danger. Half a loaf of bread is placed in front of her as well and she tears into it with as much ferocity as she can muster. The thought of foul play only coming to her after the fact.When the fog finally lifts in her mind, Tifa spots her savior sitting a few feet away from her. A small dark shadow of a girl. Knees pulled up to her chest, head buried in her arms. Tifa clears her throat and the girl’s head pops up.Yuffie Kisaragi. Sector 6.Tifa wipes at her mouth, suddenly feeling self-conscious of the voracity of her consumption despite almost dying. She offers the water pouch back once she feels comfortable sitting up.“I don’t need it,” her new companion says in a standoffish high-pitched voice.Tifa leaves it at that, too tired to argue. Her head slowly welcomes back the fog as exhaustion retakes her. She pulls the blood-soaked wrap off her head, the bleeding stopped for now. Her eyes close despite the heedless danger her new companion may bring.Squinting against the bright sunlight, Tifa turns and lifts her face against the window of the train. The warming heat is welcome on her clammy sullen skin. She fights to keep her eyes open, the rhythmic motion of the train lulling her toward sleep that won’t take. There’s a striped brown hawk circling in the distance. She lazily watches as it dips close, perhaps spotting nearby prey, before it veers off toward distant cliffs. An unrequested flash of a similar cliffside blooms in her mind's eye for a heartrending moment as she dispels the image away before the tightening of her throat can do any more damage. The conductor comes around shortly after to let her know that they will be stopping soon.One thing Tifa doesn’t account for when arriving to the city is walking through the city. Specifically the undercity slums of Midgar; a place she's heard all manner of frightful stories of. The train that carries her from her home unexpectedly stops just on the outskirts of the metropolis. A Shinra Security Officer meets her at the platform there to escort her through the middle of the slums to get to the inner city station which will then bring her to the upper section of Midgar.It’s a strange oversight that, the longer Tifa traverses through the slums, slowly begins to realize it is probably a very deliberate tactical play by Shinra. Done so to remind those who ponder rebellion against them can be witness to exactly what fate will await if caught. Not even the poorest areas in other Sectors are as destitute as what she is witnessing now. There is life but even then it gives off a pitiful hesitancy to admit to ever living here. But most bewildering to process is the fact that there is a whole other half of the city waiting on a separate tier than this—more opulent and solicitous than the shanty neighborhoods in view.But the slums themselves are a sight for Tifa’s unwayed eyes. Again, the image of the metropolis seen from a faraway vantage assaults her mind but now compares it to being up close. She thinks of the great number of people on the streets around her, the ones she can’t see on the upper plate, and of the ones waiting to change her life forever in the Shinra Building, and how just a short time ago, Tifa had no inclination to know anything about them.“So much,” she mumbles. Her shoulder is checked harshly by a passing local. She apologizes without thinking.“Better look where you're going,” the officer escorting her gently chides. “You wouldn't want to trip.”Tifa stares up at him, unable to see his eyes beneath the familiar helmet. He is the first escort abiding the end of her life yet he is without personality to her; which she’ll find is the norm as the days go on.“Okay...”She glances to her sides. Of the many other people out and about in the slums, none are looking up. It seems to Tifa that the plate is enough to leave anyone awestruck. But perhaps, given enough time, it simply becomes part of the background, eclipsed by more ordinary concerns. It’s not a hard sentiment to imagine as Tifa’s mind is already being occupied with the coming dread the closer they get to the inner station.There are lots of strange sounds too, most of which she can’t identify. Sometimes, she hears angry shouts from among the clustered buildings or a loud creak of shifting metal. None of the other pedestrians pay any mind to these things either. Then, all at once, Tifa retracts her conclusion of not being able to live in a place like this as it feels almost blissful to witness such deliberate ignorance of the world around. Now, when every dismal step takes her closer to certain unknowing death, she would happily trade places with any of them in a heartbeat.The Shinra's Public Security Corps removes a heavy bar from the entrance of the station when they arrive. It’s a different area, she notices, than everyone else using. The massive doors swing open, revealing a huge unfurnished platform lined with boarded-up windows and dirt-flecked posters promoting past games. Faces of previous winners catch her interest. The only similarity between them despite their smiling faces is their hollow-looking eyes. There is a stagnant emptiness exuding from every single poster she passes. It’s unnerving…the thought that a face she will come to know, or her own, will end up here. A chill goes down her spine.Her steps echo the closer to the edge of the platform she gets. A couple minutes of restlessness pass before a garbled announcement confirms the train’s arrival. A steadying breath releases from Tifa’s lips as she crosses the threshold and sits to the far side of the train car. The seats are covered in a thick layer of dust. Probably undisturbed until someone like her makes their way here every year. Tifa wonders how many past tributes ride this train only once and she tries not to count herself among them already.The windowless carriage offers no respite but allows her anxiety to stew. Parts of her body twitch involuntarily the higher up they go. Her ears pop multiple times and after a long slow ascent, the car finally comes to a creaky stop. The door slides open and a burst of sunlight blinds her momentarily. A rush of people enter the train and firmly guide her out. She stumbles to her knees while walking off the platform but it offers a moment of recess to process her surroundings. Shock floods her system. It’s like night and day compared to the undercity. The upper plate is a completely different beast of splendor, and for the first time, Tifa is scared.The people up here take notice of her. They know who she is and why she’s there. Tifa is here for their entertainment and they are completely aware of it.The recollection of her week at Midgar is a blur. She moves on autopilot, thinking of Aerith’s faith in the will of the planet and attempts to channel it in this strange place. It’s the only thing she can cling to when nothing of her old life remains. She channels the people she knows, the ones that she cares for and the ones that care for her—letting whatever marginal utility from the planet she can feign in here.Her old master, Zagan, and his tenacity for battle, guide her limbs when she’s tested for her prowess. Cloud’s stoicism keeps her from painting a bigger target on her back as she’s forced to interact with the other tributes. But that does her little good when everyone around her is both hunter and prey. Even Zack, their old fallen friend, whose footsteps she's directly following. She channels his geniality and allows that to guide her broadcast interviews, hoping to gain favor with the masses that will watch her die.Then there’s Aerith’s spirit…which Tifa keeps for the nights when everything pushes down on her and she can’t breathe. When the calculating eyes of the other tributes unnerve her, she imagines glowing green in their place and it calms her heart. Aerith’s spirit—which she pleads to the planet to let her spend just one more moment with.It’s not until Tifa rises into the arena does she feel herself come back—that potence fading.She is alone.
Day 5
Tifa returns to consciousness after a brief rest. It’s nightmare-induced and unpleasant but the regained strength after waking makes the stress of it easier to push past. Yuffie has not seemingly moved at all but it’s still impossible to gauge just how much time has passed in the perpetual darkness.Another piece of bread, smaller this time, sits on the ground waiting. Tifa savors half of it and pockets the remainder.They move together—an unspoken alliance forms.Tifa regards her new partner. One of the youngest tributes this year has to offer but is devoid of much else. She's reluctant to admit barely remembering Yuffie during their week at the training center. The girl, even back then, was somewhat unremarkable. Petite and frail. Quiet and unassuming.While it’s hard to get a look at her new companion, eyes still barely adjusting in the eternal night, Tifa hears her. The rustle of Yuffie’s clothing as she trembles whenever they break for a moment. She hears the shallow breath as the girl tightens her arms around her body while trying to rest. Tifa doesn’t ask but it's safe to assume she’s afraid of the dark.How she made it this far into the games honestly baffles and impresses her. Being from Sector 6 already feels like enough of a disadvantage for the poor girl. The beginnings of pity bubble up in her chest but she tries to squash it down before it takes root. It’s not fair to Yuffie or the situation they’ve both been thrown into.At least she’s kind.Yuffie only asks once, and brusquely at that, if Tifa is feeling all right. A blooming adoration slowly unfurls in her chest when she catches the young girl not so subtly scrutinizing her from time to time as they’re resting. Tifa makes a quip that since she’s older she should be the one looking after her but Yuffie’s answer is just to turn away and grumble incoherently. Swearing, even in the darkness, she can see her ears turn red. Commenting on it does nothing but make the other girl turn away further.It’s the first time Tifa laughs since the day of the reaping. Shining a bit of light on what she could believe was Yuffie’s personality outside the arena. But it’s that thought that cuts her laughter short—the poignant loss of a life beyond the arena. Even if, by some miracle, she or Yuffie ends up winning the games, there is no future where they get to know each other outside of them. Whether the younger girl notices her sudden shift in mood, she doesn’t comment on it. They continue their trek through the broken city.They soon garner a bit of luck when stumbling upon a small pack in one of the buildings they wander through. Having two people to cover ground, makes the need for survival not as scary to pursue even in the darkness. Inside is an empty water pouch along with a small pocket knife. Yuffie offers the knife to Tifa but she refuses it.“Keep it,” Tifa says gently. “You technically found it. Wouldn’t sit right with me if I left you defenseless.”Arguably Tifa should probably be more self-serving, especially in a situation where the end goal is to survive longer than everyone else but…she just can’t.Maybe it is pity.Yuffie makes a discontent noise while pocketing the knife then mumbles, “’m not defenseless…sucker.”It’s said so suddenly that Tifa has to forcibly bite back an abrupt laugh, wondering if Yuffie even realizes her words. She watches her push a loose rock with the toe of her shoe and it warms her heart to see there is still something of this young girl left in this place that seems to siphon what little remains of their past lives.All thoughts of pity replace with guilt and sadness.Their current rest is short-lived when from their left they hear a flurry of commotion. The two girls freeze in place. Yuffie’s breath evens out then stops entirely. Tifa dares to take a single step to lessen the distance between them but the loose unseen gravel at her feet makes more sound than wanting. A bassy infernal growl reverberates against the stone, unlike any animal Tifa’s ever heard. The sounds it makes are low and dilatory as if waiting for them to react first and give their position away. Every footfall of the creature is intentional and calculated; three steps then a pause to sniff the air before repeating the process.Tifa blindly reaches for the other girl’s hand. Yuffie stiffens under her touch but she grips harder and begins to pull her away slowly. With careful movements, Tifa bends down to pick up a stray rock and tosses it as far as she can in the opposite direction. The creature balefully roars at the sound and rushes after it. Its footfalls quickly fade in the distance as it gives fruitless chase to a phantom. The two girls say nothing to each other and quietly continue their wandering, ever cautious of the growing dangers in the shadow.Aerith is the last to visit her. The heavyset grief in her eyes betrays the bright smile on her face.“Here!” Aerith grabs hold of Tifa’s hand before she has the chance to say anything and places a small yellow flower in her palm. Easily recognizable is the wildflowers from the mountain. “I didn’t have enough time to fix it to anything,” she says regretfully. “I’m sorry.”Tifa looks at her questionably. She honestly can’t make sense of anything the other girl is saying or why she’s giving her a flower in the first place. A million and one things are rushing through her head and it takes everything within her just to stay in the moment and not succumb to the complete dissociation of her situation. She can barely even recall the visit she just had with her dad. Aerith thankfully seems to pick up on her mental state.“Your token,” Aerith explains simply.It holds sentiment. It’s a reminder from home—of their time together. It's the perfect token but, “It’ll wilt...” is the only thing Tifa manages to say.“Then you’ll know how long it’s been since you left me.” Aerith lets out a breath in resignation.Wasting no time, she leans forward and kisses Tifa with bruising force. It shocks her back into her body and back into the reality she has to face. Somewhere in the mess of the moment with Aerith’s touch and her lips and her perfume and her breath, Tifa recognizes that they both know this may be their last kiss.Aerith pulls away first, her shoulders trembling. She takes a deep shaky breath and rests their foreheads together.Tifa tries her best to memorize the moment.She wants to tell Aerith that she doesn’t have to be strong for her. That it’ll be okay if Tifa doesn’t come back. Tifa wants to tell her that she always thought Aerith looked pretty in the sunlight and is sorry she didn’t tell her more. She wants to tell her that she always loved it when Aerith would put flowers in her hair. And that she has a book hidden under her bed that holds all those flowers gifted her in their lifetime and she wants her to have it. Tifa wants to tell her that life with her was the best part of living so far…even though now she feels like she hasn’t had the chance to live at all. She wants to tell Aerith that she’s sorry she ever denied her feelings in the past and wasted so much time not being together.She wants to tell her a thousand many more things that she never had the courage to say before...but the words are stuck in her throat. Confessing anything now feels cruel.“It's not fair,” Tifa mumbles, her voice chokes with tears.There’s a knock on the door. They both turn toward the sound in distress and look back at each other with wide eyes. It’s too soon.“We have to say goodbye,” Aerith’s voice wavers.“Aerith—,”“I’ll watch over you,” she proclaims adamantly. A brave face locks itself in place but tears still fall in steady rivulets on her cheeks. Leaning forward, Aerith kisses her one last time but all Tifa tastes is salt.Shinra's Security Corps comes inside and Tifa is rushed on the train to Midgar.Tifa swears she hears Aerith whisper as the doors close.“It's not fair.”

Day 6

Yuffie is kind, so Tifa is kind in return.It’s a philosophy that doesn’t make a lot of sense in the arena as, more often than not, amiable kindness can end up getting someone killed. But Tifa has come across no reason to change herself while in here. Death may be an integral part of the game's intention but that doesn’t mean she has to directly play into the gamemakers' hand. Their tireless attempts to breed anxiety and mistrust with this environment only makes Tifa want to rebel against its design even more.
Yuffie saved her life so why shouldn’t she try to do the same?
Despite her determinations, Tifa is also not that naive; something will force her hand eventually and she morbidly wonders if it's better to just run out of luck in that case…and run out of luck is exactly what’s granted.The gamemakers seem eager to liven up things in the arena and that's apparent with their newest interference.Light.It’s as if someone suddenly threw back the curtain on the sun, and gifted the world its salvation. Harsh blinding light now pervades the entire city.Yuffie and Tifa brace themselves. The unmerciful adjustment disables their senses ruthlessly after days spent in the pitch darkness. No amount of shielding their faces helps with its relentless assault as dark afterimages burn patches in their vision making sight spotty. They’re exposed. The light permeates everywhere—everything.The old decrepit ruins of a lost city, now based in brilliance, cast long dramatic shadows in every direction, making them appear more inviting than their crumbling nature suggests.Tifa feels Yuffie stiffen beside her following a quivering intake of breath once her eyes finally adjust. There’s little need to ask what invites such a reaction because across the broken street, less than a hundred yards away, is the clear shape of a person.Another tribute.There is no lengthy standoff or delayed moment to gather bearings and think of a strategy.There is no time to react. Tifa hears the newcomer yell as if beckoning someone and suddenly there are two other tributes charging full speed toward them.The next few seconds happen in slow motion—for Tifa, the span of a few heartbeats. Her feet slide against gravel. She winces involuntarily as it audibly crunches against the soles of her shoes. Pivoting her body, her knees bend priming her legs for what is sure to be a merciless chase. Three things flash through her mind: Aerith, the knife, and Yuffie who hasn’t so much as twitched yet. Shifting her gaze takes an agonizingly long time and what she sees makes her heart drop.Yuffie stands there, a statue—a marble figurine like the ones from the old world Tifa studied briefly in school. There is no fear in her eyes. No panic or worry or any number of appropriate emotions. They’re empty. Soulless; like the posters of victors on the train platform back in Midgar. Yuffie looks...resigned to her fate like she was waiting for something like this—waiting to die.An unsettling tightness clenches Tifa’s chest, making her nauseous. Still caught in this half-time phenomenon, she reaches for the younger girl’s arm and everything speeds back to normal.“Yuffie!” Tifa pulls on her arm roughly. She pleads, “Yuffie. We have to go!”The force yanks the younger girl out of whatever stupor she was lost in and they both take off stumbling.Despite their pursuers head start, the two girls are backtracking through a part of the city they’re somewhat familiar with despite, just a moment ago, being shrouded in black. It’s easier to navigate through the side streets and alleys that once seemed like an invitation to death, as their minds work double time in the frenzy. They run through buildings that were once avoided but now appear open and inviting—a refuge from outside dangers. Survival logic overriding any hallucinate of fear that impairs their minds.Adrenaline and quick thinking saves them as they eventually lose the trail of the other tributes, finding temporary refuge in a different unfamiliar part of the city after making a labyrinth of confusing twists and turns. The light, as exposing as it is, thankfully makes hiding in the shadows that much more helpful. Six cannons go off in the time between the light’s return to when they finally feel safe enough to stop running. The entire time Tifa does not let go of Yuffie, scared by what she saw in the girl’s eyes for that split second in time.Chests heaving, Yuffie springs from her adrenaline-filled daze and stumbles on an unseen rock. Tifa tries to steady her but she’s shoved off, as if her touch is too much.“I can walk! I’m fine!” It’s a breathless yell but a yell all the same.Before Tifa can shush her, Yuffie lists sideways, almost hitting the floor before Tifa hoists her up and helps her against a wall. She babbles a long string of incoherent sentences, which make no impression. Her head hangs deadweight until she slumps into herself, fatigue from their ordeal catching up to her all at once.Tifa watches the younger girl for a minute, straining her ears for any other tributes that may have heard the outburst. She nudges Yuffie’s foot lightly. “What was that?” Tifa dares to ask. The other girl pretends not to hear her. “You just…” She’s hesitant to put a name to the disturbing act of surrender she saw. “You completely froze.”Yuffie subtly wipes at her eyes. Her voice is strained and watery. “What can I say? Sorry.”“It’s not about being sorry, Yuffie.” Tifa deflates and takes a seat next to her. “You can’t react—or not react like that,” she amends quickly. “You could’ve died.”Yuffie doesn’t respond and Tifa stops the conversation there, abruptly finding the whole ordeal silly. Because isn’t that what they’re here to do—what they’re designed for? To die? But…Tifa can’t look at Yuffie and see anyone but a little girl who saved her life a couple of days ago. A desire for death is not what she wants Yuffie any more than herself.“C’mon. We can’t stay in the open like this.” Still uneasy with her partner’s head state, Tifa gently steers Yuffie by the elbow toward the roof of a small building with a retractable ladder and no other visible access point.A veritable upside to the newly granted light; the arena now expands vertically.Tifa deigns it safe for now; a place to catch their breath. There’s no argument from Yuffie who may be just as eager to leave this recent fiasco in the past. Neither of them speaks for a while out of necessity and soon enough an hour passes with no further incident.Maybe it's the return of light and its admittance for vulnerability but now that Tifa can get a proper look at Yuffie, a nagging thought becomes too hard for her to hold back.“So,” Tifa starts a bit awkwardly, her voice hushed, “I heard a rumor you’re not actually from Sector 6?” She waits patiently for Yuffie to give her any acknowledgment. Usually, an invasive question like this wouldn’t even cross Tifa’s mind to ask a stranger but they’re in a unique situation where their lives are forfeit regardless and her curiosity outweighs decorum.“You want…the truth?” Yuffie peaks at her from the corner of her eye. There’s the tiniest sparkle of mischief in them and then she lifts her head and a proud determined look rests easily on her face. “I’m from the Wutai.”Tifa readily remembers the war and all the substantial propaganda that popped up when she was younger. Posters with questionable ideologies: An enemy spared is an enemy who will repay your kindness with blood. It’s impossible to imagine Yuffie in the role of that kind of principle.“I'm not your garden-variety Wutaian,” she continues. “I'm what you call, a rare bloom.”“Rare bloom?” Tifa grins candidly. She can almost imagine another universe where this subdued show of rambunctiousness is completely unbound in the years of Yuffie’s not-so-distant youth. An image more befitting of a girl her age.Yuffie straightens up a little, the beginnings of a smile uplifting her cheeks. She recites something that seems long rehearsed. There’s a hint of pride in her voice. “Before you sits a rare bloom; the single white rose of Wutai.” Her shy smile fades a little and the charade ends. “There’s a lot more…but it’s better when it’s yelled really loud.”“That’s incredible. I mean, I assume you must’ve been really young by the end of the war. It’s inspiring to see you’ve held onto so much of it.” Yuffie doesn’t answer but Tifa doesn’t take offense to it. She clears her throat. “It’s strange. After my name was called, time stopped feeling real. Like my life from before became a complete dream. My friend and I used to plan out what our—.”No. That’s not something she wants to talk about here.“Never mind…” Tifa shifts uncomfortably. “Do you have any friends or family back home? Things you miss?”The question is asked with enough mustered innocent curiosity that Tifa is sure she isn’t overstepping but the air around Yuffie instantly shifts. It becomes palpable and unwelcoming.“No,” Yuffie responds after a moment. It’s all she says before lying down and turning away.The single word is weighted with more pain than Tifa wants to think about for someone so young. It’s a heavy reminder that everyone in these games is an enemy and someone with nothing to lose makes them very dangerous. But Tifa knows in her heart that while they’ve both gone through a door that they can never reopen, Yuffie is not her enemy and deserves more than the hand she’s been dealt.She allows Yuffie to nap for a bit, taking vigilant watch on their rooftop sanctuary. They’re only about three stories up, creating a nice vantage point of the rest of the arena.While the darkness made the city seem endless, Tifa can see just how expansive the space of this year's games is. She spots visible landmarks to remember once they start moving again and determines which direction the cornucopia may be in. Thinking it may be a good idea to start going in that direction as the number of tributes will only continue to dwindle. Neither of them has eaten for a while and that uncomfortable ache is starting to settle in. They have to make a plan soon.Turning her scrutiny upward, Tifa tries to pinpoint a point of origin for the light. She determines it’s not the sun as it seems to emit from everywhere and the intensity of it hasn’t faded at all. A speck in the distance above her head grabs her attention and she yelps in surprise. Yuffie sits up quickly, eyes wild, fumbling for the pocket knife ready to bolt at whatever sign of trouble.“Relax. It's okay,” she tells her partner. “Sorry, it’s just a—.” She points upward and the parachute shape quickly makes itself noticeable.“It’s yours.” The younger girl relaxes but makes no effort to get a better look at it.Tifa scoffs lightly. “Don’t say that. Maybe you made an impression.” Yuffie gives her a look and they watch the slow descent of the parachute. Something jogs Tifa’s memory about the other girl. “You volunteered, didn't you? Midgar eats up noble acts like that.” Yuffie visibly shrinks in on herself, shoulders slumping, losing complete interest in watching the parachute. “Maybe someone wants to show their support…” she trails off.Yuffie stays quiet and makes a show of lying back down, hands pillowing her head but doesn’t turn away this time. Sure enough, the parachute falls perfectly within Tifa’s reach. It opens with a quiet click and she gasps shakily, peeping at its contents.Yuffie tries not to make her curiosity obvious but Tifa’s reaction is too dramatic to look away from. She pulls out a small loaf of bread, which is immediately divided between them, and a single flower; fresh and full of life. Its petals bloom magnificently and its pretty pink color is vibrant. Tifa fumbles with the pockets on her jumpsuit before carefully pulling out another flower that’s tucked away. It's a different type from the sponsor gift and has obviously been carried around for a lot longer but she holds it with just as much reverence.“It’s pretty,” Yuffie comments idly.“Yeah.” Tifa sounds a hundred miles away. “They grow off a cliff of a mountainside.”“Wutai’s got a place like that,” she says but Tifa doesn’t respond. Yuffie stares at the older girl for a few seconds then closes her eyes again.

Day 7

Yuffie wakes up with her left arm stinging pins and needles and mostly unsure about how long she’s been asleep as the light is still brightening the sky. She stretches her arms over her head and subtly glances at Tifa. Tifa, who still delicately holds the two flowers in her hand then brings them together to her face. Her eyes close as she mutters something incoherent like a silent prayer. When her eyes open they’re sad; full of melancholy. The kind of emotive intensity that strikes Yuffie's chest with unspecified jealousy.The young girl stares intently at the pocket the flowers disappear into for a long second before turning her body away, finishing her stretch. Tifa takes it as a cue to suggest moving on. Even with no sign of impending danger or other tributes, it’s a good idea to start developing a strategy and seeking better protection other than Yuffie’s one knife.They’re quieter now. Weaving through the available shadows whenever they can. The light is too exposing; too dangerous.As they make their way through the city, Yuffie’s mind is unsettled thinking about how she may react if they run into danger again. Would she run if Tifa grabbed her arm again? Should she even allow Tifa to help her again?Her head buzzes thinking of possible scenarios they may come across. The recent sponsorship instilled Tifa with something that Yuffie can’t recognize in a place so far removed from their pasts. It gives her ally new life in the nightmare that is these games...but it also makes her worry about what that could mean for her. Having the will to fight for something could spell bad news in the end.Yuffie watches the older girl place a hand over her pocket periodically as they move, the ghost of a smile crosses her face as if lost in a memory. She catches the motion out of the corner of her eye every time but the look on Tifa's face feels a bit too private and she always ends up glancing away. That kind of happiness on display twists something inside Yuffie. It brings up unpleasant memories she’d rather forget. Tifa has someone watching over her; lovingly so. That is motivation—motivation Yuffie doesn’t want to get in the way of.She should run off. Make sure there’s no risk of cruel future choice that should fall on Tifa’s shoulders. She thinks back to the way the older girl’s eyes looked at her when the light came back and Yuffie stood there…As if reading her mind Tifa speaks up.“You should try to live as long as you can,” Tifa says suddenly. “You have compassion and drive still within you. I don’t know what life you’ve led to this point but I think I’ve seen bits of it. I know it’s tough to think about it in this place but you deserve to live. You’re still so full of life.”Yuffie whips her head around and glares at her for speaking so loud. Tifa winces and takes the silent admonishment but doesn’t stop talking.“You said you have no one…not in so many words but that’s not true anymore. You have me. I would miss you. We haven’t known each other long but you’re my friend, Yuffie.” She smiles sadly. The younger girl feels the attempt to convey her care and concern. “So just...try to stay alive a little longer.” Her arm twitches like she is about to reach out but thinks better of it and lets it fall to her side. She walks ahead to take the lead. “That’s all I wanted to say.”The avowal stuns Yuffie into silence. Her face falls. Tifa’s words rattle around in her head like a mantra. Her chest tightens and she feels her eyes start to well up. There’s a painful clench in her jaw when she bites the inside of her cheek to stop any outward reaction in its tracks. But the words don’t stop repeating as they stealth on.They’ve been traveling for a couple of hours when they decide to make their way to the cornucopia if they can find it. The lack of any sign of tributes is starting to split their nerves and their scarcity of food and water won’t allow them to continue in isolation for much longer. So the cornucopia is a profitable gambit and as the number of tributes dwindles, it’s becoming more of a necessity to protect themselves.“The buildings are getting thinner. I’m worried we’ll be spotted easier.” Tifa pauses and looks unsure. “Should we split? Try and flank each side? Meet at a midpoint?”Yuffie shrugs in an effort to appear nonchalant. Not really wanting to leave Tifa’s side but understanding her point. It makes the decision to distance herself easier. This is her opportunity.Tifa looks at her pointedly as if sensing her trepidation. “Unless you think you can’t handle it,” she says, trying to make light of the situation.“Please,” Yuffie says, affronted, “only those Midgarian dummies would find that a challenge.”Tifa nudges her shoulder. “Be careful.” The bright smile on her face makes Yuffie feel…seen..“You too,” Yuffie responds quietly and slips the pocket knife into her hand.“Yuffie…”“I’d feel better if you had it. I found you half dead. Obviously you need all the help you can get if I’m not there.”“I don’t know,” Tifa chuckles. “Maybe you underestimate me.”“You mean you were dying of thirst on purpose?”Tifa playfully shoves her shoulder and then pats her head the same way her grandpa used to when she was a kid and he was alive. Yuffie unsuccessfully tries to clamp down the profound feeling of warmth that pulls at her chest and stalks off.They both veer off into the outskirts of the break in the city. Not ten minutes have gone by when Yuffie finds a running faucet. She takes a greedy drink from it before filling her pouch to share with the older girl later. Maybe the cornucopia doesn’t have to be their endgame plan now…That’s when the fog descends. It’s thick and opaque and somehow worse than the eternal darkness of before.“Oh boy…”Yuffie can’t make out her own hand in front of her face and her surroundings are completely shrouded. Fear and trepidation are at the forefront of her mind thinking of the danger that could be lurking around. She cautiously starts back to where she parted with Tifa, fearing for the older girl’s safety as well. She’s careful and deliberate with her steps so as not to disrupt or alert anyone who may be near. She’s not naive enough to think the gamemakers are making this play for no reason.The abrupt sound of a cannon rattles her entire body and blood-chilling dread flashes in her veins. A second cannon soon after has her sprinting. Yuffie clumsily hooks her leg on something and slashes her calf open while running, making her stumble multiple times from the throbbing pain.Limping; she’s too slow.Blood runs down her leg, seeping into her boot. The squelching sound it makes is nauseating, but that and the pain help temper her wild anxiety. The fog lets up a bit and she recognizes the area. Yuffie debates whether to call out Tifa’s name when she suddenly trips over something. She falls hard; gravel scrapes up her hands and knees. It stings.She looks back behind her and sees a body. It’s unmoving, lying on broken rocks, blood leaking from the mouth. The eyes, sightly and terrified, meet hers.Yuffie’s mouth dries like dust. The gravel, as she pushes up, digs under the heel of her palm and grinds further into the skin. The smell of blood—her own blood makes her gag. If only she could take her eyes off the body…In front of Yuffie is the female tribute from Sector 1 with Yuffie’s pocket knife sticking out of her neck. Moving on autopilot, Yuffie pulls it free in one swift motion and cuts away the dead girl’s sleeve to fashion a wrap to tie around her injured leg. The fog completely dissipates by the time she’s done.A few yards away she spots a familiar yellow flower and an arm outstretched reaching after it. It’s already starting to wilt and one of the petals has fallen off…so Yuffie is gentle with it. She places it back in the pocket with the other one.Taking one last look at her friend she whispers, “...with your woes forever in my heart. I’ll try.”There’s nothing else to be done. Yuffie runs off with cadenced words echoing in her head:
Live as long as you can.
With a deep cleansing breath of crisp mountain air, Tifa heads up the mountain.As she ascends, she keeps her gaze fixed upward, watching the clouds rolling high in the sky. She pictures them swirling in the space between Aerith’s shoulders. Opening to a world away where both of them can escape forever.Before she knows it, they reach the boundary of the Sector—beyond the Sector. A place that is all their own. A cool wind rushes through her hair, compelling her to glance behind the way she came, realizing all the apprehension of the earlier morning is gone.“What did I say!” Aerith exclaims, spinning around with her arms outstretched. “Totally worth it!”Tifa shushes her. “It still doesn't mean there aren’t Shinra patrols around.”“Oh sweetheart, you have to let loose. It’s a beautiful day!” She grabs Tifa’s hands to spin them around. Aerith lets go after three turns and twirls a bit on her own, losing her balance from dizziness.“Come on,” Tifa laughs joyfully, “we still have a bit to go and I’m not carrying you like last time.” Her arm securely snakes around Aerith, steadying them together. “What’s with you today? Climbing up the side of my house, now you can barely keep balance.”Aerith hums at peace. “I don’t know. I just knew I had to be with you today. Like the planet was pestering me or something.” Aerith sneaks a shy glance up at Tifa then rests the side of her head against her. “It makes you wonder, you know…if this is what love is supposed to feel like?”She says it so casually Tifa is speechless for a moment.Love.Then she turns her head slightly to peek at Aerith’s profile. Her face lit up from the warmth of the sun high in the sky. She realizes Aerith is right. It is a beautiful day. The sun is high; the flowers around them rustle with the wind, still freshly blooming at the end of spring, bringing with it a pleasant aroma.The girl in her arms, so full of life and light and love and passion, is adamant on sharing the moment with her.She squeezes Aerith’s waist and bends down to kiss her full on the lips.“For us?” Tifa pulls her closer. “Maybe.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing. Aerith is gone. Aerith will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry...or get angry... What about us? What are we supposed to do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!
She became aware of the sun first; moving across a cloudless sky, filling her unblinking eyes with images of days passed on other worlds. It seemed to go by without purpose, standing still for hours, then darting ahead in a streak of light, jerking toward the far horizon—the day following with it.Light. That should mean something to her…Thought was also a new thing.Before…her mind was blank. An empty canvas for each experience to paint her consciousness with wondrous and devastating impressions she could not influence. Even now as thought came back to her it’s hard not to go through the motions—take the same steps. Pretend that she’d never witnessed this sequence as it played out.Aerith’s lifeless body drifted down in the water repeatedly—endlessly.“—a!”“Tifa!”A bright light assaults her eyes.
Where was she?
The sedative hum of lab equipment buzzes all around and the distinct cold metal furnishing of…Shinra Headquarters? Junon? No…not a lab. A clinic?The memories from what unfolded so long ago flood back to her. She was captured…wasn’t she? By Rufus? Or…Cloud? No. Cloud had the Black Materia. The WEAPONs awakened. Aerith was k—“Tifa!” Aerith’s voice shook her out of her stupor. “Oh, sorry. Were you sleeping?”The steel interior oozed away like cascading paint drippings revealing a simple warm beige tone beneath. The cold metal underneath her gave way to the soft fabric of a couch that shaped to the contours of her body. Her head hurt.“Gotta wake up sometime,” she grumbled, lifting her head. Tifa glanced over to see Aerith skipping toward her from another room. “Barret’s asking for you. Something about Marlene.”She looked like she always had; bright green eyes brimming with untamed curiosity and a genuine smile like she was happy just to be in Tifa’s presence.It wasn’t real. Relief washed over her. Then exhaustion. Her body felt so tightly wound by the dream that seeing Aerith standing there in her signature pink was a welcome shock to her system.Tifa scrambled off the cough and rushed to hug her. Solid. Warm. Alive.Aerith made a surprised sound but returned the embrace delightedly. “Remind me to wake you up from more naps if this is the thanks I get,” she giggled.Her laughter unlocked something. Pain—an anguish like she’d never get to hear it again.Awareness of that pain came next—the memory of a raging fever that wasn’t hers. Fire? Bruises where the eye could not see. Shaking chills that had thrown her around like a rag doll. And a stink—an excess of mako and burning ice, filled her nostrils and her head.More memories…They came back to her in parts. Broken and unfinished. The beginnings were harder to remember but the more she focused the clearer they became. Vague formless memories of pasts lived in other worlds that looped and repeated. Impossibilities with a common factor…Aerith.“I had this…” Tifa squeezed the other woman tighter trying to dispel the troubling memories. She could feel her heartbeat strong against her chest. That had to be a sure sign that this one was real. She pulled back. The lump in her throat grew as she locked eyes with Aerith—sparkling green seemed to shine ethereal as the sunlight hit them. Aerith smiled quizzically at her. Tifa shook her head dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. You said something about Barret?”Aerith dipped her head toward the lobby of the inn. “He’s talking with Marlene in the other room. Thought you’d want to check in with her.”“Of course, yes.” She took a single step away and immediately regretted it. A wave of nausea washed over her as the strange vestiges of a dream still seemed to collar her. Was this not real? The warmth of her hand stayed at the forefront of her mind. It helped ground her. “Thank you, Aerith.” She couldn’t let go. “Wanna come with?”“I’ll lead the way!”They held hands the entire time she was on the phone. Aerith played with her fingers as she spoke to Marlene. Tifa regaled the young girl with tales of an adventure that seemed to happen in real time as she described them. Aerith playfully interjected throughout, giving her side of the events, warping Tifa’s linear perspective of reality.Time and space began to extend and stretch to impossible degrees. Tifa would be at the bottom of a dilapidated mine one second and the top of a sunset canyon the next. The smell of salt spray hit her nose masking the still present fetid aroma of burning ice and mako. Colorful lights and delightfully repetitive music assaulted her other senses in arrant tandem.Marlenes’s voice began to fade and Tifa was once again outside. She stopped short the moment she regained her bearings.An ancient city with shell-like buildings and a ground that resembled the sea floor stood before her.Her shoulder was jostled as Aerith skipped ahead to join the rest of the party.“Wait…” Her voice cracked.
Aerith…
Tifa was sure she’d never stepped foot in this place before but the memory came back to her with extreme clarity. The City of the Ancients.Aerith…wasn’t supposed to be here. Not like this.The space her friend just occupied was empty.“Aerith!” The name left her lips like a choked scream. Cloud and the others looked back at her with alarm. Aerith peaked her head around a corner.“Yeah?”Tifa dropped her head in embarrassment and hoped they wouldn’t question her strangled outburst. “Never mind.” This city had her on edge. That’s all…There was a nagging feeling that she should be doing something—preventing something.It didn’t come to her until it was too late.
“Do not worry. Soon the girl will become part of the Planet's energy. All that is left is to go North. The 'Promised Land' waits for me over the snowy fields. There, I will become a new being by uniting with the planet. As will this girl…”
Sometimes mysterious feelings hit Tifa like a swift kick to the head. Then her body would react in compliance to instances that never happened—not in the succession she remembered them at least.The moment she returned to this time was outside. A clear day on a random stretch of rolling hilled plains outside Midgar. Tifa knew, in this instance, she was already setting things in motion, investing herself as part of a movement for change in the coming calamity. She knew that meeting Aerith as she did in this time made her want to change their fate and save the world for her. So they set off together. Just the two of them against the world.“Fine. I'm sorry,” Aerith said, exaggerating the words in response to an argument Tifa couldn’t recall. They were at the peak of a lush hill atop a pair of chocobo. “Is that what you wanted to hear? You’re the first girl I've ever spent time with like this. I didn't realize…” she cleared her throat, playing nervously with the reins of her chocobo.Tifa, guided by knowledge beyond her current understanding, jumped off her own chocobo and offered her hand out to Aerith. It was taken after a moment’s hesitation and then they were face to face. Tifa’s hair tickled the back of her neck as a light breeze caressed the two of them intimately. The ends of Aerith’s dress brushed against her legs, the soft fabric beckoned her closer.“This is new for me too,” Tifa heard herself say.“It doesn’t feel like it.” There was a petulant edge to tone. She bit her bottom lip as her hands found perch on Tifa’s shoulders. “I’m sure you’ve stolen the hearts of plenty of people growing up.”“Sure,” Tifa said easily while sporting a cheeky grin.Aerith gasped. “You’re not supposed to agree! Quick! Tell me you love me.”“Really?” Tifa adjusted her grip around Aerith’s waist. “Okay, I love you.”Aerith groaned. “That’s it? Try again but this time with more feeling. Say it like you really mean it.”“I didn’t think you could get any less romantic,” she said with a straight face.“Is that a challenge?” She wet her lips.Far from dissuading their charged momentum, Tifa whispered as she leaned in, “How about you tell me if you want me to stop.”Aerith’s eyelids fluttered, allured by the shift of her presence. She inched closer to Tifa. “I don’t,” she said with a breath.“Do you love me?”Aerith’s body faded from her touch and Tifa fell, hitting the hard metal flooring of a Shinra holding area devoid of light. After images danced in front of her eyes in the unexpected darkness. Her body thrummed and itched with a tetchy energy that made it hard to resist clawing at her skin.“Aerith?” Her call went unanswered. The name reverberated against the metal in the room, bouncing endlessly. Her head pounded with each repeated echo.She refused to move. The chill of the metal bit into her skin but she waited for the illusion to fade. Turning inwards, she sank past her distress into that faint frequency that was the sense of some distant self. Her head continued to ache. The thrumming not fading at all.‘Again,’ she thought. ‘Again.’“Let me try again!”Pleading to the planet—to whatever entity or power that allowed these apparitional interludes of her memory to give her another chance. Hot tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She slammed her fists against the floor until exhaustion took her.“Did you see it? It's Sephiroth! So he is here! This is perfect! Both Jenova's Reunion and Sephiroth's will! They won't be diffused into the Lifestream, but gathered here!”Being at sea was exhilarating.Tifa knew Aerith had never seen the ocean before, nor stepped aboard a ship. In truth, the vessel was a modest one, living out its years of service transporting passengers and cargo between Junon and Costa del Sol. But in Aerith's eyes, it was an endless source of wonders. Her curiosity led them up and down the passageways and ladders, exploring every corner they could find until one of the passengers threatened to go to their superior and report their ambient wandering.“How do I look?” Aerith spun in a circle back in the cargo hold. “SOLDIER worthy?”“Well, you’re halfway there.” Tifa knocked on the other woman’s Shinra standard three-eyed helmet.She hummed in agreement. “Dressing the part is one thing but I don’t think anyone would be fooled. Not with my arms.”Tifa didn’t miss the appreciative look in the direction of her abdomen and legs. She flushed hotly under Aerith’s scrutiny and swallowed hard, thankful for the helmet covering her face. “A couple weeks of training and you’d get there. Maybe if you stopped refusing my offers to work out together…”“No offense,” Aerith held her hand up, “I’ll leave the punching and kicking to you.” She took off her helmet and leaned forward to look at herself in the reflection of Tifa’s. “I wouldn’t mind the mako eyes though… I always thought they were pretty. Like the color of the sky, right?”Tifa was interrupted from answering as an intense buzzing assailed her ears. The pain of it brought her to her knees.There was…something she had to be doing…right? She was surrounded by ice and monstrous creatures…Cloud had—Her eyes shot open as she bolted upright. Her throat was thick and constricted, making her cough violently.With aching muscles, Tifa heaved herself over and pushed up to her hands and knees. Uncomprehending, she stared at the ashes that surrounded her like a bed of blackened snow. More ashes scattered and smeared over the stone of nearby broken buildings—familiar buildings. She heard her father’s voice. It mixed with the roar of towering flame.A scrap of cloth—Aerith’s pink ribbon lay mixed in the char next to her. The edge-blackened cloth that had escaped the flames quickly burnt up in spontaneous combustion. Tifa’s stomach heaved and twisted.Her vision suddenly obscured. She groped out in the darkness. “Aerith!”The reply came from far off. “Over here!”In a flash of light, Tifa was stable again. She immediately recognized her old room, situated on her bed in front of her old piano. At her vanity across the room sat Aerith idly fixing her hair in the mirror. Her mouth was moving but no discernable sound reached Tifa’s ears. It was too much to take in at once—especially just moments after briefly reliving that tragedy. She could only grasp scattered pieces of a conversation she wasn’t privy to.“Okay,” Aerith started, “last thing.”She cleared her throat, still feeling the effects of the suffocating smoke. “What?”“Meet me at the water tower later.” She smiled widely and winked at Tifa through the reflection. “Don’t keep me waiting.”Before she could respond, Aerith disappeared as if she was never there. Dusk descended in the next second and Tifa found herself outside her house under a clear ocean of stars.Aerith clambered up the rickety ladder of the water tower. Tifa grinned from her place on the ground as the other woman let out a breath of exertion. “Why’d you wanna meet me here?”Aerith shrugged and sat on the edge of the platform. Her legs dangled back and forth as she leaned forward to look at Tifa, looking every bit the clandestine lost love she was. “I wanted to see what the big deal was. You always think about this place.”Think?Against the backdrop of the glittering expanse Tifa finally understood the reason her heart seemed to rise in her chest anytime she looked at the other woman. Aerith was a beautiful, untouchable presence—Cetra, different from everyone else, like one of those countless stars blinking in the distant sky. An illusion of reachability in more ways than the obvious.The conflict in her chest lifted. Her steps were light. A single bounded leap brought her to the top of the platform.“Show off,” Aerith murmured pettishly.The last time Tifa climbed up here, she'd been a small child. The structure seemed so much bigger back then. Now, circumstances changed—she was a different person and if she admitted it to herself…she knew this wasn’t real. Except, the shining moon tilted at that exact moment to bathe Aerith in ethereal light that made Tifa not care what was dream or reality. Her eyes glowed like stellar celestial bodies trapping Tifa in their orbit.The breath in her lungs was fully expelled in one exhale. Her legs felt weak.“Hmm?” The corners of Aerith’s eyes crinkled shut as she smiled. “You gonna sit down or stare at me all night?”Aerith looked at her with a growing understanding behind her eyes. It was a frightening thing to witness. The hair at the back of Tifa’s neck stood on end. Her knees trembled violently.“I don’t think we have much time left,” Aerith said in the most sorrowful tone of voice. “Just sit with me, please.”She obeyed. It made her heart constrict. “What are you talking about?”Aerith cupped one side of Tifa’s face as she leaned in to gently trace a line on her cheek with the tip of her nose. Tifa relinquished herself to the electric feeling. She turned her head to capture Aerith’s lips but only caught the corner of her mouth in a clumsy attempt.“Redo?”Tifa startled at the double meaning.Without waiting for an answer, Aerith kissed her properly this time and Tifa held her breath.Before she could savor a second, something shrill rang in her ears. She couldn’t cry out. Her entire body suddenly constricted as if it had been compressed in a tight sheath. Her skin burned, and her lungs felt full of smoke. Her vision briefly blurred as the ringing grew louder.Her chest ached.
“What are you so happy about, Professor? You know what this means, don't you? Cloud has the Black Materia! Sephiroth is going to summon Meteor! Every single person is going to die!”
This time was different. It moved in waves.All Tifa experienced was Aerith. It felt disturbingly final in its sequencing. Moments crested through her memory unbound by any single tether. Then the wave crashed and her life rushed through the rest, imparting the ineffable precious moments with the other woman—every touch and pointed glance, every spoken word and shared laugh.Aerith’s voice would echo through the illusion. “Will you spend the rest of our time together with me?”In every new town they had a moment to themselves, this is what Aerith asked Tifa. It was the only thing comprehended. Their journey—the group’s collective crusade, was background noise. Culminating to a point at Cosmo Canyon where unwanted clarity came to Tifa in the form of an odd memory of her dad. The last time she saw him. Tifa watched the orange-toned sunset on a cliff face and pictured him running through the burning village and up the trail to the mountains. And then never again. She felt that same sensation now.There was only Aerith until she was gone. Already gone? And then never again.She didn’t realize it would be the last time. The memories built and stacked upon each other. Repeating and replicating in Tifa’s mind until there was no other thought apart from Aerith.It warps into something beyond sorrow. She would have done so much more. She would have done things differently.Aerith kissed her in this dream and Tifa couldn’t help but wish she had kissed her so many times more than time allowed them. She didn’t know their first kiss in this unreality would be their last forever.But her eyes sparkled all the same.Aerith had clever fingers, which she used expertly as she kissed her way along the lines of Tifa’s body, drawing out sensations that held no need for comprehension. Tifa, less articulate, marked the canvas of her skin in return with teeth, and hands, and bruising kisses.Incredible clarity. Brutal cognizance. Whatever inhuman power that had given her this tortuous lucidity. She knew none of this was real.Tifa brushed Aerith’s hair from her face long after breathless confessions of love and ardor echoed the walls. “I don’t want to go.”“Where are you going?” Aerith sleepily replied. She reached for her hand and kissed the center of her palm.“Somewhere without you.”Aerith smiled. It held a sadness like she completely understood her meaning. Like she too knew this was about to end. “That’s impossible. I’m right here.”Tifa shook her head. “You deserved life…I’m so sorry, Aerith.”Aerith sighed and pushed up on her hands. Her hair cascaded like a curtain around them. Green eyes bore into crimson. “Tifa Lockhart," she said. “Eyes like yours don't miss much.” She leaned down and placed a soft kiss over each eye then leaned back down and snuggled close, letting her eyes drift.“Please don’t fall asleep,” Tifa pleaded.“No can do. I gotta catch up with you…since it’s about time for you to wake up.”“Don’t go.”The last thing Tifa felt was Aerith’s warmth and a soft kiss pressed against her skin. “I warned you before.”“Warned me of what?”“You’ll be all right. Do you hear that?”“What?”
Cloud!
Tifa is swarmed with visions of her home swallowed by a sea of fire; acrid black smoke filling the air to scorch eyes and lungs. A horrible ringing assaulted her ears.Then she woke up.A blinding white light hurt her eyes. Cold hard metal stung against her back. She felt weak. Impossibly weak. Her head was heavy. The weight of it almost sent her back to unconsciousness. She couldn’t move.The realization that this was reality came instantly. There was no way to fake this kind of ache in her chest. No matter how real her dreams seemed, there was always a layer of surreality that anchored her away in the back of her mind. Aerith was gone and her mind knew that. It let her indulge but it never let her forget.Her ears buzzed violently.“...ding…”“Huh?” To the left of her, there was a harsh sound of a chair scuffing against the floor as someone sat up.Everything sounded louder. Everything hurt. Her eyes squinted against the light. “The glare…”“You’ll be better soon.”She knew Barret’s voice as well as any friend of hers. She’d known it since she was just a teenager trying to get her life in order. It was comforting. It was worrying. Because it meant Cloud was gone and Aerith was truly dead.“You’ve been asleep for a long time,” he told her.She lay still, looking up at the cold metal ceiling. She whispered, “I’m…hungry…”Hey,” Barret shuffled in his chair, “why don’t you ask?”For seven days Tifa dreamed.She dreamed to forget…but also to remember. Unimagined scenarios in diverse and fantastical worlds and varying universes. Adventures Tifa could never fathom in her most creative waking hours. Always her and Aerith—a realized dream within a dream.But waking up may be the cruelest punishment because it was the last time she’d ever dream of her.