"Guided by Starlight"

By TiFa StRifE

She woke up to a star filled sky. As far as the eye could see there were bright white lights all around her illuminating her face along with the pale blue light of the moon.

Her head hurt terribly as she sat up to contemplate where she was and how she got there. She couldn’t remember a single thing of the past and was suddenly frightened.

"Where am I?" she asked to the night sky.

A haze of familiar faces and places filled her mind. Although she didn’t know who these people were and where these places were, there was a sense of warmth and comfort in them, and those visions were her only comfort.

Sitting up she looked all around her in search of someone or something that might help her.

"What is my name? Who am I, where am I from," she asked standing up, "Where am I going." She said shaking her head looking to the ground. Putting her head in her hands she cried not knowing what to do.

This girl was a true beauty, but she didn’t know that. All she knew was that she was lost, without a memory, and somewhere she had no recollection of ever being in. Dazed and deeply saddened, she walked. For hours she drifted from the place she woke up in and found that the bright sun’s rays were now beating on her shoulders. For the first time she could see what she was wearing and felt very naked from it. Only a white tank top and a short black skirt. Her hands had red gloves that fit her snuggly. Of course she had no idea why she would have gloves on in the middle of the summer, but that must be something of her past she did not yet understand. Perhaps they had to do with some kind of fighting or some sort. Still, she walked with the heat increasing and her moral rising with it. She wanted to know who she was and wouldn’t stop her journey until she did.

Finally after almost a full day there was a tiny pond a mist the dry hot desert like ground she was walking. Running to it whole-heatedly she stooped down and cupped her hands filling it with the cool blue liquid in front of her.

After having a few sips to at least hold her off for a little while, she lye back to close her eyes and try to remember the hazy visions she had seen before. Only one thing came to mind this time, and it was a woman. She was indeed very beautiful and she gave her the most comfort of all. Although there were at least 10 other people in her dream, this girl made her feel like she could go on. Everything about her was perfect from her chestnut color hair to the long flowing pink skirt she was wearing. Flowers surrounded her body as the girl in pink lifted her up and brought her somewhere. They were flying in the air as the woman spoke quickly telling her something, but she couldn’t understand. Everything was to confusing.

Then the lady in pink set her down in a green plush area. It was nighttime and the stars were shining brightly. She knew this place. It was where she awoke. Then the woman put her down and gave her a motherly smile. She caressed her face and gave her a kiss on the check, then the words came to her, she said.

"Find him again…he will be waiting…. try and remember….your past." That was all. She said it in the sweetest voice and quite suddenly, vanished into mid air. No where to be found, gone.

Her eyes filled with tears of the realization that she was all alone with no where to go, even worse, she had no clue where she was. The best thing to do would be to walk around, find out where she was and where she would be going.

Looking into the pond for one last sip of water she saw someone where. Startled, she jumped fell back with her arms holding her up. She looked frantically for the face she had seen when she realized it was her own face. Looking down again she admired her raven black hair and tight figure and how the hair fell down all around her like a gently stream. She smiled and washed her face knowing that this was the first step to remember who she was. Now she was on her way again.

That night she found a cozy little spot to rest up for the following day of walking. Making a bed of moss and leaves, she lye down and closed her eyes. Then a howling came from all around her, encircling her in a place that she knew would be dangerous if she stay. Almost instant she changed into a fighting state when the first appearance of a wolf showed up right in front of her.

She was mesmerized by the yellow of its eyes and a rage filled from deep within her. It was like a natural thing that had happened to her, that her stance was a result from years of training and practicing that now seemed like she had known it forever, yet again, it was another comfort to her.

In moments the wolf was mutilated and whimpered back into its cavern of darkness. She dusted herself off and rubbed her hands on her sides. Proudly she turned around and faced her comfy bed when a snarl was coming from directly behind her. She slowly turned around to face five, six, seven wolves emerge from the darkness with teeth showing and yellow eyes narrowed. There was no way she could beat them all.

Helpless and quivering she had no choice but to turn around and run for her dear life. Quickly she looked around her to see the best place to make her exit, her time was running short. With a leap to the left she confused the somewhat dense wolves into charging after her, but at the last moment she took off in the other direction outsmarting her deadly predators leaving a smirk like look on their faces.

Laughing with joy and jubilance, she forgot that she was in somewhat of a bad situation and for once, tried to think of other things beside her absent memory. The nightlife seemed to suit her better and only in the night did her heart stop aching for its acceptance in this world so unknown to her.

***

Not to far away in a town called Midgar. A lonely and miserable man sat in his house on a couch staring into nothing. Nothing was what he had and what he now belonged to for it owned him. He had nothing. Not to long ago, in fact, only a few days ago his wife had died. The love of his life had left this world taking with her all the happiness he had ever known to him. There was nothing to live for and slowly but surely he was dying, but he knew he was already dead in side.

A sick feeling arose in his stomach. A feeling that he had tucked away neatly in the past to be forgotten forever, but somewhere it was rising in him again and it agitated him.

"I won’t become the monster I was before. I can’t be cold to the people I love.." but he stopped himself and stared at his hands. A wedding band rested there on his left hand, the only thing left of her, the only thing that mattered to him.

"Tifa.." he whispered.

Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart had been married for almost a year now. They grew up together and lived for each other after that. When studied up to be admitted into SOILDER he was tempted to quit every time there was a bump in the road, but the thought of her kept him going. The thought that he could come back to his Tifa and marry her one-day left him sleep at night and dream pleasant dreams.

Now she was gone. Gone forever to her terrible fate that no one could change, and he was a living wreck.

Their wedding day was the highlight of their lives. He could still smell the flowers looming over the alter and settle right behind the priest congratulating him and making the biggest step of his life, by making the eternal vow of loving this woman to the end of his days. Then she came, flowing in white lace stepping towards him. Every emotion swept past him as he stared into the eyes of this woman he loved more than him self. It was just as she stepped next to him did he realize this, that he loved her more than anything and would die for her. He would lay his life down on a slate for the reaper to take away rather than seeing her hurt in any way. But fate was fate and whatever happens, happens, but right now all he wanted to do was to look at his bride and plan all the happy days they would have together. The future looked bright for them.

The wedding was more like a turn of history event. More than ten million people attended the wedding and filled the streets waiting for their first steps out into the public as Mr. and Mrs. Strife. When that moment came the people in the streets cheered heartily and welcome them to the married life. All would be well.

Cloud now found himself alone in the house holding their wedding album with other assorted pictures in it along with their honeymoon in Costa Del Sol and the Gold Saucer.

"Damn she looked great in a bikini." Cloud said with a smile crossing his face. A tear fell into the book as he closed in and put it back on the shelf.

After she died Cloud just wanted to be alone. It was enough news broadcast all over the world that the famous leaders of AVALANCE were planning on getting married, but it was another thing when her funeral took place. Endless lines of reporters came to interview him on his feelings but he cursed them all to hell and shut him self up in this house ever since. He didn’t want to think of these news stations using his pain as a quick way to getting ratings. Never had he felt this way before and longed for these feelings to go away. All he wanted was his Tifa back because without, her there was no reason for living.

***