If life is a beginning, then death is the end.
But is it really the end to eternity?
No, Death is just the beginning.
A dark figure walked down the street, not caring where he went. His short black hair fell loosely over his head; a few strands fell over his right eye. He was a skinny, well built man in his middle twenties. A cold breeze blew through the air causing him to pull his red trench coat closer around himself. His eyes were black and running down his left cheek was a nasty looking scar.
He walked into his hotel room and tossed his trench coat against a near by chair. Rubbing his one hand over his eyes, he removed two contact lenses, revealing icy blue eyes. He dropped them on the night side table and went over to the mini fridge taking out a bottle of wine, then poured himself a small glass. He leaned against the glass window and looked at the city over his shoulder. Taking a sip of his wine and hanged his head.
"I guess there isn't much purpose in the world for a man whose dead."
"Tifa, hey Tifa! Are you in there?" Barret yelled banging on her door.
"No, I'm not! Go away!" So yelled back.
"Tif, come on. Please Tifa open da door, we're all out here worried sick about ya." Barret yelled back.
"Come on Tifa! Open the door already!" Yuffie called out to her friend.
"Come on Tifa, its damn cold out here!" Barret tried again. Yuffie sighed and turned around to the rest of the group. She looked at Them, Vincent, Cait Sith, Red, Cid, and Barret.
"Ok, which one of us is going to knock down the door"
"We will not have to do that." Vincent said, "Let me handle this." He walked forward and leaned against the door and pulled down his collar so his voice would be loader.
"Tifa, Cloud wouldn't want you to be acting like this. Even though he may not be with us at the present time, were not positive he's passed on. He may still be alive and well. Even if he is not, he would want you to continue your life and be happy. Please Tifa, open the door." There was a quite pause before Tifa came and opened the door. The skin around her eyes was red; she looked like she would break down crying any second. Yuffie walked closer and hugged Tifa.
"We all miss him Tifa. Like Vincent said, their isn't any proof he's dead. He just vanished on a mission, that's all. Just because he never showed up at the base doesn't mean anything"
"Cloud isn't like that though. Something must have happened to him or he would have found a way to contact me. I know he's been through worse, but he's been missing for weeks. They proclaimed him dead this morning"
"That's doesn't mean he's not out there though. Take Vincent here for example." She said smiling "He was declared dead for years, but he wasn't"
"Tifa don't cry." A timid voice came from behind Barret. Marlene walked out holding a white flower and passed it to Tifa "I picked this for you, I though it may make you feel better. I don't like it when you cry."
"Thanks Marlene." Tifa said wiping her eyes. "Why don't you come in and I'll get you some cookies. The rest of you to, make your selves at home." Cait Sith stepped forward and shook his head.
"You go set down Tifa, I get some tea ready and get Marlene some cookies." Not giving her time to object he walked passed her into the kitchen. Tifa picked up Marlene in her arms and walked into her living room with the rest following.
"Tifa you know, Two years ago when Meteor was about to strike I though that every thing was doomed, but I was wrong. Everything turned out ok. It wasn't the way I though it would turn out, but it was fine, and I liked it much more"
"You're a sweet kid Marlene. Don't let anyone take that away from you." Tifa said between sniffles.
"Marlene is right Tifa. Even in the darkest hours I've always remembered that things can only get better, and they will." Red remarked "Things don't always turn out the way you plain them. I always though my father was a coward for fleeing, but could not have been more wrong. He fought until death took over, although he lost his fight I did not loose mine. Even though it's not what I expected to happen, I am now the guardian of Cosmo Canyon"
"Remember when we were fighting that B#$d Sephiroth? We nearly lost a thousand friken times, but Cloud always told us never to give up. At the time I felt like cussing my head off, but in the long run he was right. We all lived through it." Cid remarked. Tifa smiled
"You guys are right, things will get better." She bit her lip to keep from letting her tears go. "Things will work out, they just have to."
Walking down the street of Kalm, the man dressed in red kicked a empty pop can. It had been two years since he had felt so much pain, two years but yet all the memories still remained with him. He stooped and turned around waiting for his black panther to catch up with him. Once the black creature had caught up with him he turned around a corner to see a little girl crying.
"Daddy! Where are you?" The little girl sobbed. He went to turn around, but something in his mind told him to stop. Growling at his newly discovered consciences he walked up to the little girl and kneeled down to her level.
"Are you lost?" He asked her. She nodded her head and ran over hugging his arm.
"I can't find my daddy anywhere. We were going home from a friends house when I got lost"
"What's your name"
"Marlene Wallas." The man slightly flinched.
"Is your father by any chance a man named Barret"
"Yes, do you know him?" The man closed his eyes remembering the group that was called 'AVALANCHE'. They group that had caused him so many headaches, in the long run though he was more then happy that they existed, he was great full for the group for what they had done. He shook his head.
"In a way. Do you know where it is you live"
"I live in Coral, but my Daddy and I are staying at a hotel here"
"Great, I'll never find what room he's in." The man paused "That friends that you were visiting, so you know where they live"
"You mean Tifa? She lives in a yellow house on top of a bar. She not feeling well though, her friends Cloud just got declared dead." The man's eyes widened.
"Cloud is dead"
"He vanished on a mission he was on and was reported dead." The man leaned over and picked Marlene up into his arms.
"Come on little one. Lets go, I'll take you to Tifa, she'll know what to do"
"Ok, thanks. You know what? You look kinda like ShinRa's late president, isn't that funny?" The man slightly laughed.
"Of all the people I never though a child would be the first to notice the resemblance. Come on, let's go."
Tifa picked a dishrag up and began to polish a wine glass that had already been cleaned several times that day. She sighed and put the glass back. Business had been going incredibly slow that day. She laded her head down on the counter and closed her eyes; a few minutes rest wouldn't hurt, would it?
Tifa slowly opened her eyes when the chime on her door went off. She looked up to greet her customer but was much more shocked at what she saw.
"Marlene"
"Tifa! I knew we would find you." Marlene jumped out of the man's arms and ran over to Tifa.
"Marlene what's going on"
"I got lost and this nice man found me. I couldn't remember the hostel Daddy and me were staying at, but I could remember where you would be. I'm sorry to bother you again"
"It's fine, you did the right thing." She looked up towards the man "Thank you for finding her and bringing her here. Can I offer you anything to drink? It's on the house for you"
"No thanks, I really must be going." He turned around to walk towards the door.
"Wait!" Tifa jumped over the counter, "Will you at least tell me your name"
"I would, but I don't think you would be so great full anymore." He started to walk when Marlene grabbed onto his leg.
"No, you're not going! I won't let you! You should stay awhile." he bent down and gently unhooked the young girls arms.
"I would love to, but I simply can't." He said, he quickly looked back up when he heard Tifa scream.
"Panther!" Tifa yelled "Marlene get over here!" The man looked over towards the door to where Darknation had come in.
"Don't worry Tifa, that's just this man's Kitty." Standing up the man walked towards the door to where Darknation stood. Darknation growled baring her teeth.
"Your not going to let me pass, are you?" He asked his pet, scratching it on the head.
"Wait a minute. Can I at least try to guess your name?" Tifa said walking towards the stranger. "If I get it right, you'll tell me ok?" The man looked back towards where his panther stood baring it's teeth, not letting him pass, to the little girl who stood next to him, them back to Tifa.
"Fine, you get one guess." Tifa nodded
"Rufus ShinRa." Closing his eyes the man nodded.
"I used to be, now everything has changed and I don't deserve to bare that name. Yes I am Rufus ShinRa"
"I though so." She looked at him more closely "How did you do it? Survive I mean." Rufus laughed,
"I'm not sure. I woke up buried in the remains of my building and managed to pull myself out. I really should be dead; I'm not sure why I'm not. So what are you going to do now? Call you friends to come kill me"
"Why would I do that?" She said a little shocked.
"Why wouldn't you? You hate ShinRa"
"Yes, well I used to. I've been thinking about a lot of things lately though. It's been horrilby quite here by myself, I won't mind some company for once." She walked back over behind the counter and took down a glass. "Would you like to stay for a drink? I'll call Barret and tell him that Marlene is all right and that she can stay here for a while. I don't think she wants you to go, and you wouldn't want to break her heart would you? Plus you panther seems to agree with her." Rufus hung his head.
"I just can't win, can I? Fine, I don't know how good of a companion I'll make though, I never had too many close friends"
"Well then, it's about time you had one"
----------------------
Hope you like it….
The more reviews I get… The more inspiration I will get and the sooner more chapters will go up.
Oh yeah, If you don't review I will hurt you down with my flaming clarinet case of DOOM!
-Leea Silver
P.S: I have taken this chapter down and reloaded it again with more of the spelling errors fixed. I plan to do that to all my chapters