Memories

AN: I own nothing in this story. This is for GuardianFarron so enjoy! Please R&R.

Tifa woke up, blinking a bit as sensation returned to her. The first thing she noticed, despite how refreshed she felt, was the feeling of a hand entwined with her own. Directly across from her was another young woman, with pink hair and startling blue eyes that blinked at Tifa before the hand was suddenly pulled away, the contact broken.

"Who are you?" the pink-haired young woman asked.

"Tifa. Who are you?"

The woman stood up then, eyes taking in their surroundings, which consisted of little but a grassy hill with an endless stretch of blue sky overhead, the sun shining fiercely on the two of them. They seemed to be the only breathing beings around.

"Lightning," the woman responded. "And you're on your own."

With that short reply done with, Lightning moved ahead, ignoring the questions in her head. Why was she holding that woman's hand? How did they end up here? Why did she want to be alone? But these questions were cut off as she moved ahead.

"I'm not leaving you!"

Lighting chose to ignore Tifa's outburst, pressing on ahead, eyes scanning every which way for something, whether friend or foe she didn't know. All she knew was this drive to move forward, to complete something.

Night had fallen and Tifa was still following after Lightning until the stern leader turned towards her ever-present follower.

"Why are you following me?"

"I don't want to be alone. I can't remember anything except for my name and it's the same for you, isn't it?"

Lightning didn't respond, finally sitting down on the ground, quickly laying herself out and turning her back to Tifa.

Sighing, Tifa lay down as well, sleep coming quickly.

Lightning tackled the brunette to the ground, kissing along her collarbone and ending at her lips, where she lingered, as her hands tickled Tifa's sides, the fighter laughing despite her best efforts not to.

"Light...I love you..." Tifa murmured as Lighting ceased her tickling.

"Twenty four."

"What?"

"That's the twenty fourth time you've said that to me."

Her lover's bizarre stat tracking caused even more laughter to erupt from Tifa's lips as she hugged Lightning tightly, starting her own round of kisses.

Lightning's eyes opened at the sound of the giggles coming from Tifa's slumbering body. She was about to scold the woman for waking her up but as she looked at her sleeping form and how little she wore despite the wind that was blowing, Lightning instead moved a bit closer, taking her cape and covering Tifa with it before returning to sleep.

Lightning shivered as a pair of cold hands traveled along her bare breasts, a finger flicking along a nipple every few moments. Gold eyes watched as Lightning moaned at the touch.

"Do you want more, pet?" an exotic voice whispered in her ear.

"Please...Ultimecia...no-" but her pleading turned to screams of pain as those hands suddenly glowed with arcane energy, pain shooting through every nerve of her body as she cried out.

"NO!"

Lightning bolted from sleep to find the sun and blue sky greeting her. Panting a bit from the intensity of the dream...memory...whatever it was, she felt Tifa stir awake beside her.

"Light...something wrong?"

Lightning shook her head as she got to her feet, helping Tifa up.

"Just a bad dream."

Tifa nodded in understanding and pointed towards the north.

"This way feels right, doesn't it?"

"It's not the way we came and that's all that matters right now," Lightning replied, before walking past Tifa. "And don't call me Light."

Tifa grinned a bit at the surly reply and followed after her companion, the image from last night playing in her head as she watched Lightning move forward.

"Whatever you say Light."

By the end of the second day, Lightning knew something was wrong. She didn't feel the need to eat, or drink, or even exhausted as she lay down.

"How do you feel?" Lightning asked as Tifa plopped down a few feet away from her.

"Fine...why?"

"You're not cold, or hot, or hungry, or thirsty?"

Tifa shook her head.

"This isn't right."

A bright flash of light suddenly coalesced before the two women, the light forming into the image of an older woman with long blond hair and impossibly deep eyes that seemed to pierce through the pair of them.

"Cosmos..." Tifa said as the jumbled mess that were her memories straightened themselves, recognition alight in her eyes.

The goddess had a sad smile on her face as she observed the pair, Lightning's hand finding Tifa's own and grasping it tightly.

"I remember..." Lightning said. "You used us..."

Cosmos nodded.

"It was necessary. You were needed. The balance had to be maintained."

"Where are we? Are we at war again? Being used again?" Lightning yelled.

Cosmos shook her head.

"The both of you have fallen. This space is my gift to you...for your service...for your sacrifice. And do not worry. When it is time for your fellow warriors, they will join you, save my warrior, he still has a task ahead of him. Your loved ones from your own worlds will also be here when it is their time. Farewell..."

Giving the pair one final look, the goddess vanished.

"I remember you," Lightning said softly.

The two looked at each other for several silent moments before Tifa tentatively reached out a hand, stroking Lightning's cheek as she began to speak.

"You were screaming when I found you. You were bleeding..."

Lightning kissed her then, hugging her tightly as Tifa started to sob.

"Shh...you saved me, you rescued me from that witch. I'm right here, look at me." Tifa did so. "I'm right here and I'm never leaving."

Tifa nodded, crying a bit more as she hugged her lover, just enjoying their contact for minutes before speaking once more.

"Claire...remember...remember what I asked you the first time we..."

Lightning nodded.

"Forever?"

Again, Lightning nodded.

"It's forever now," Lighting whispered. "But I also promised you and ever, didn't I?"

Now it was Tifa's turn to nod as she initiated her own kiss. Lightning savored the feeling and embraced her a bit more tightly as she remembered their final stand. The hordes before them. Tifa bloody, one of her arms severed, the one hand she still had holding onto Lightning's own as tight as she could. The end came at the edge of a spear.

"I love you Tifa," Claire said.

"Three."

Claire blinked a bit at the odd response from her lover before she found herself on her back, her martial artist straddling her as she started to peel away her clothing.

"That's the third time you've said that to me."