Part One
She let out a mild grunt as she burrowed under her fluffy down comforter. It was gray and drizzly and cold outside, she could just feel it. But after roughly half an hour had gone by and blissful sleep just wasn’t happening, she un-burrowed her head, just barely, and peeked outside with one eye.
She just knew it, it was going to be cold and wet an--her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight that was streaming through the window. Tifa’s eyes widened and she sat up abruptly. "Oh dear GOD!" she groaned.
It was absolutely beautiful outside. Birds were screaming shrilly at each other, and there was barely any sign of the downpour that had rocked the small mountain town.
"...I gotta get to work." she muttered grumpily. Stretching, she rolled out of bed and waddled towards the bathroom.
Upon arrival, she greeted herself with a comical sight. Her brown eyes were droopy and filled with lethargy while her hair was sticking up and frizzing like no tomorrow. She studied her reflection carefully.
"Tifa, darling, you look like crap." she told her reflection firmly. "There is no way you’re setting one foot outside the door looking like that, so get going and shower already!" That done, she decided that the first order of business was to get rid of the shag carpet that layered her teeth. She reached for the toothbrush and her day officially begin.
She trotted out into the kitchen of her small apartment with her hair still slight damp, but braided now. Her stomach gave a conspicuous growl, so she grabbed a half a bagel, slathered it with cream cheese, and stuck it in her mouth as she began to load her truck with the gear she’d need for today.
Nibelheim may have been just another town, but the Nibel Mountains were a majestic masterpiece unlike anything else. And where Nibelheim was cozy and safe, the mountains had not been mapped and were exceedingly dangerous. The appearance of monsters had gone down after the entire Meteor-Shinra incident, but the jagged peaks and steeply rising slopes held a danger just as eminent as any vicious creature. And Tifa’s job was to make the mountains safer.
Nibelheim was small mostly because it had such a remote location. And while people were perfectly happy to just have a small town and leave it at that, its economy was in dire need of a boost. It was hoped that in making the Nibel Mountains more navigable, more people would begin to trickle in, thus increasing trade with nearby cities. If the bridges and paths were reinforced and cleared up, it would make Nibelheim much more accessible.
Tifa approached this job with complete devotion. No matter its past or hers, she loved these mountains with a singing passion. Already, she had gotten Cid to do a fly-by in order to pick up the data from a bird’s-eye-view. The next task ahead of her was an arduous one; she would have to go in on foot and personally explore and map every crevice of the Nibel Mountains. The going was slow but fruitful and pretty soon she would have a list compiled of all the equipment and manpower she would need in order to restore the first section of path leading straight into the mountain as well as reinforce the bridge that was there. She knew all too well of the necessities of a sturdier bridge.
Still, there was an enormous amount of work ahead of her and she needed to take advantage of every workable hour. It was hard and frustrating and slow, but she loved her job and was determined to carry through to the end with it.
Finally the truck was loaded and she was off. The weather was absolutely perfect for what she needed to do today. It was sunny, but not blinding, and there was a brisk wind that put a slight chill on what would have otherwise been a scorching day. Arriving at the mountains, Tifa was reminded of why she was still here, slaving away at a seemingly impossible project.
The Nibel Mountains stood in all their wild and hostile glory, the sun streaming down on them but seemingly not reaching the slopes. Mt. Nibel’s crooked and scarred peak rose above all the others. There was very little beauty in the Nibel Mountains. They were blackened and scarred and crooked. They held none of the gentle, breath-taking beauty of the Wutai mountain chains. They did not stand tall and sturdy as if keeping watch, as the Midgar mountains did. They were not snow covered and iced over, with the Northern mountains’ grace. They were not covered in forests or life or jungles, and did not scream of life and resilience.
No, the Nibel Mountains were like none of those. They were ugly and rose high above the other mountains. Their slopes were barren and twisted, and there was little to no beauty in the wildlife they held. And yet...gazing at them, you were filled with a sense of majesty. As if the mountains were favoring you by allowing themselves to be watched. Their blackened peaks reminded you of something deep inside...that not all mountains are beautiful, just as not all loves are true and lies false. They seemed to carry a hidden message, as if the Planet had sent out this angry messenger to stamp itself into your memory.
But she loved them. She loved them for all their flaws and now, on this beautiful day, with the mountains’ defiance, she loved them more than ever. Her passion quickened her blood, sped up her heart and she was filled with a singing joy that she could not describe for the life of her. This was her home, Nibelheim, and this was her land.
She felt like laughing and crying and dancing all at once. So she did. Right there, in the broad daylight, she climbed out of her truck, bawling like a baby, and danced around idiotically, laughing the whole while. And for no reason in particular at all, really. Just the fact that she was Tifa Lockheart. That she was herself and no one else and she could be happy just with the knowledge of that.
After a few minutes, she realized just how insane she probably looked and calmed down. Laughing, she reached inside and pulled a kleenex out, only vaguely surprised that her face was covered in tears.
But it was time to get to work. Today, she would be scaling down a nearly vertical slope into a valley that was almost perpetually mist-covered. Instead of using her traditional charting equipment, she would need to use some electronic alternatives, due to the mist that was thickly shrouding the area. No one had ever dared venture down there before, simply because the danger was so great. But Tifa had with her the finest gear she could get her hands on, and she had no intention of dying in that valley or on the way down. Squinting up at the sky, she decided to call her assistant to help her set up her equipment. Since the weather was so nice, it wouldn’t take him long to bike over.
After placing the call, she just kicked back and closed her eyes, letting her eyelids block out most of the sunlight. Awhile later, she opened her eyes and sat up in a mixture of alarm and irritation. After checking her watch, she noted that twenty minutes had gone by and Patrick, "Tifa’s little helper", was far overdue. She frowned. He had said that he was coming right over, so something important must have detained him. She waited impatiently for a couple minutes, then started towards the town on foot, trusting that nobody would be idiotic enough to touch her truck or equipment. The crime rate in Nibelheim was about as low as it got to begin with, and anyway, Tifa herself was fairly well-liked by mostly everyone so even the few troublemakers in town tended to leave well alone when it came to her.
She hadn’t gone more than a third of the way to town when she spotted a lone biker in the distance. About time.
Grumpily, she stopped walking and crossed her arms, her earlier good mood dissipating at the thought of how much time had just been wasted.
Patrick saw her waiting for him and steeled himself. As he pulled up next to her, he noted her impatient posture and raised eyebrow and blurted out a desperate explanation. "I’m sorry, Tifa! I got held up in town and they sent me to get you because there’s some nutty outside here that’s wanting to get at the Shinra mansion!"
Tifa blinked at his sharp Nibelheim accent mangled the message. Guess my own accent’s a lot more faded than I thought or noticed... Then his message, briefly held up in her brain while the familiar lilt in his words was dissected, hit home. Someone was trying to get into the mansion.
Her eyes widened slightly and she looked imploringly at Patrick. He sighed and got off of his bike. "I’ll walk back; you just go and keep everyone from freaking out and stoning the poor fellow to death."
Tifa flashed a smile at him. "Thanks, Patrick." Hopping on, she flipped her loosely pleated hair over her shoulder and took off, leaving the teenage boy there to grumble about the idiocy of his hometown.
Tifa’s mind raced as she cycled along the familiar road. Why the fuck would anyone want to go into that horrid place? There’s nothing there but those twisted monsters that keep popping out of nowhere and a bunch of abandoned experiments. Maybe a Shinra...? No, it couldn’t be...even pro-Shinra hated Hojo along with the rest of use. I don’t think anyone liked that man.
So who would want to salvage one of his labs? After all, if it isn’t the lab...well, there’s nothing there, really, except some damn dusty chairs, an empty safe, and a broken piano. So I guess it has to be the lab they want. But how would they know about it, and WHY do they want it, is the question.
The town came into view. Guess I’m about to find out, she thought grimly. There was a crowd of people ahead and she cruise straight for them, noting their chaotic actions and the loud roaring of too many people trying to yell over one another. A few feet before she would have run smack into them, she threw the BMX into a skid, throwing up a large cloud of dust and effectively startling about half the crowd. When they continued to border on riotous, she cursed under her breath and grumbled. Not gonna shut up, huh? Leaning down while still balancing on the bike--she wasn't about to even risk anything happening to it--Tifa reached into her boot and recalled exactly the moment she'd received that particular item.
*flashback*
"Vincent..." she looked wistfully at him. "I'm going to miss you, you know.""I believe you."
"Promise you'll try and visit?" she begged, desperate not to lose her dear friend.
"I'll try." A flicker of a smile crossed his face briefly. "I have a present for you, Tifa."
She blinked back several tears. "You...you do?" she was surprised. Though Vincent had become a very close friend, he wasn't exactly the affectionate type.
"Yes. I do." She looked up at him.
"You’re an excellent fighter, Tifa, and you the ability and skill to defend yourself. But there may be a time when you find your fists will fail you." He pulled a small silver revolver out of his boot and pressed it gently into her hand. "This is for then."
Tifa gasped at it. Though it wasn’t even as big as her hand, it was well-crafted and felt...solid. She looked from it, quickly, up to meet his gaze.
"I’ve had it for many years now; it was one of the first guns I acquired in my youth and I have not found it in me to discard it. It’s small, but quite powerful, I think you will find. I would like you to have it, if only as a token of my friendship."
Her eyes widened. "Vincent! I couldn’t take this; not something that you’ve had fo--"
His calm voice swiftly cut her off. "Take it, Tifa."
She began to cry, then. "Vincent...Vincent! I’m going to miss you so much! You’re one of my best friends!" she threw herself into his arms and began to sob wildly into his shoulder.
He gently held her, quaking and sobbing, as she clutched handfuls of his shirt. "Who’m I gonna talk to when you’re not here? Who’s gonna be there to help me--" she broke off into tears again.
Vincent pushed her back and looked at her. "Be strong, Tifa." she sniffled. "Those were the words you once spoke to Nanaki, and I think we have all taken them to heart." he hugged her briefly. "I have to go, now. Please...don’t be concerned. We will see each other again." he paused at the doorway. "...I’m going to miss you as well, Tifa. You’re a dear friend."
And then he was gone.
*flashback*
Tifa gave an evil grin as she raised Vincent’s gift into the air and fired it.
Silence suddenly flooded the town square.
She tucked the gun back into its little nest in her boot and settled back onto the seat of the bike. "Now will everyone just quiet down and keep calm? Before you do something idiotic and get yourselves into a big mess."
The crowd fell, if possible, into an even deeper silence.
She looked around and saw a familiar face. "Danielle? Will you please tell me what’s going on?"
"Well..." the girl hesitated. "That gentleman over there came into town and asked someone for directions to the Shinra Mansion."
Tifa stared in disbelief. "That’s IT?" she questioned incredulously.
Danielle looked uneasy. "Well, I suppose that everyone just rather freaked out about then."
Tifa was never more conscious of her own faded manner of speech than when she was addressing a crowd. "Alright then. Where are you, Mr. Outsider-Stranger-person?"
A man stepped forward and Tifa’s breath caught in her throat.
...golden brown hair, but not so much blonde as brown...
...breathless blue eyes, ringed in a light green and fading to hazel...
...a tall, solid frame...
...straight nose...
...the sunlight streaming down...
The entire effect was ruined as an arrogant smile drifted onto his face. "Thanks babe, but I coulda handled this hick town on my worst day."
Tifa rubbed her hand against her forehead and gritted her teeth. "Look. I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I know this area better than *anyone* else here, hands down. So just come with me and the lovely crowd here won’t bludgeon you to death, how’s that?"
He shrugged. "Okay."
"Good." she turned to the crowd, eyeing them. "All of you just get back to work."
She set two cups of tea on her living room table, gracefully avoiding the bike that was strewn across her floor. "I’m sorry about all of that just now, in the town. Most of the people here don’t deal too well with strangers." she laughed softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I’m afraid it is a bit of a hick town."
"It’s no problem. My name is Lucas, by the way." he stretched out a hand.
She shook it. "I’m Tifa. Now, I know you aren’t here for small talk and tea, so how can I help you, Mr...." she trailed off, realizing that he’d given no last name.
"Just Lucas. And I’m here looking for something."
"This is a pretty small town." she gave him a questioning glance. "I don’t know what would be here that you might find useful."
"Information." his eyes glittered, a hard look entering them. "I know there’s a hidden lab here, from Shinra. I’m looking for something, and I believe that’s where it is."
"How--?"
"Don’t ask."
Tifa looked visibly shaken. "I...but...Well, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that I can’t let you do that. The entire building’s been sealed away for safety purposes. No one’s allowed in there. In fact, the only reason it’s still standing is because the people around here are too set in their lives to get rid of something that’s been around in their landscape for so long."
A faint smiled traced his lips. "But you’re the one who was put on the project. You were the only one Reeve felt he could trust during the considerable chaos after Meteor hit Midgar, and so he asked you to take charge of the project. In fact, you were supposed to completely destroy the mansion AND the lab, but you were met with such strong local resistance that you settled for just slapping the biggest, strongest fence and gate you’ve ever seen around the place. Not to mention the security modifications you set on this place, using a great deal of surplus Shinra materials.
"In fact," he continued. "If it weren’t for the fact that it’s a steaming cesspool of aggressive monstrosities, it would probably be one of the most currently secure places in the world. After all, a planet doesn’t go through a world-wide crisis without making considerable sacrifices in the process.
"So I know you can get in there, and more importantly, I know you can get me in there. It’s your choice, Miss Lockheart."
She sagged, only his previous warning keeping her from bursting out and asking how, how, HOW he knew these things. She put a hand to her throat, as if to steady her voice. "I...you don’t understand." she pressed urgently. "The horrid things that place has seen, the despicable acts it’s hosted. It’s not good for anyone, anything. You don’t know...how much pain, the suffering that place has witnessed. The awful...awful things..." she broke off, lost in the memories of a pair of pained blue eyes...of Cloud. Cloud and Zack, trapped in that place for weeks and months and years for so long it scarred him so deeply changed him from the sweet little boy inside and layered the scar tissue on and oh the things that had been done to him...
His voice drifted back to her, painfully ragged and full of emotion. He began talking and couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop until it was just all out. He had to pause, his voice would break, but he pressed on. She held him and smoothed his hair and just let him feel that she was real and solid. Everything came rushing out, the conflicting emotions, the confusion...how everything seemed blurry, surreal, as if it wasn’t his. She cried and he cried and they just held each other and talked and talked and healed together. She held his ice to her warmth and let him melt, let him become whole again.
And still he hadn't stayed with her. Damn him. "I want to be real for you, Tifa...this is the lamest thing I've ever done to you, leaving you for nothing, but oh Tifa, please understand...I want to be real for you. I don't know if I'll ever find what I'm looking for, if I'll even ever know what I'm looking for, but I have to try. I don't...I don't know. I feel so confused, Tifa. But we'll see each other again. I promise you that." he touched her cheek. "And I keep my promises, right? Or at least I try." he hugged her. "Thank you so much for everything, Tifa. More than words. Good...this is good bye. Goodbye, Tifa."
And he was gone again. Bitterly, she reflected on the fact that she was always getting left behind.
Lucas stood up, watching as her dazed eyes slowly drifted upwards and focused on him. "Well. I’m sorry you feel that way." he said mildly. "And I told you that it’s your choice."
Tifa stood as well, angry now. "My answer is--"
He cut her off. "I haven’t give you your options, Miss Lockheart." she glared viciously at him as he held up three fingers. "One," he ticked off. "You can come with me into the mansion, guiding me and keeping an eye on my actions. Two, you can tell me how to get in and sit back while I wander around in there alone." he stressed the last word and put down the third finger. "Or you can just leave me to fend for myself and flounder around, while quite possibly screwing more than one thing up."
Putting his coat on, he turned to her one last time. "I’ll wait two days for your reply, and that’s being very generous, mind you. If I receive no reply, then I’m going in alone. Don’t doubt my abilities. You can find me at the inn several blocks down from here. Thank you for your time, Miss Lockheart, and I hope to hear from you soon." he left before she could find her voice.
A few moments after the door shut firmly, her vocal cords began working again. "That BASTARD!" she shrieked in a voice that was rage-filled and unlike her own.
What am I going to do??
author's notes: *waves her arms around* gaaahh!! O.O Short! And sucky! ;__; I know....gomen..o_o it was all that I could come up w/. ^^;; Part two would be here as well, if it weren't for my extreme lack of time. o_o I know, I suck. ^^;; But hey, gimme a break. O_O Next time, things will get more interesting. ^.^ I promise! O_O And more FFVII characters will be in here. *nods* Really, they will! ^^ ja!