-Kiss Karma-
-Final Fantasy VII-
=^w^=
-The First Kiss: The Cheek-
(Setting: The infirmary at the Shinra barracks.)
"You hear that?" Another choked sound filled the room, "That's one of Professor Hojo's experiments. She's just had another dose." Zack winced visibly and looked over at the little Shinra guard he'd brought with him. Cloud was as white as the sheets on the beds in the infirmary and he looked like he was about to puke himself. The First Class SOLDIER stood up and grabbed the Shinra guard by his good arm, dragging him further into the sanitary abyss and toward a curtained bed where the choking sounds seemed to be coming from.
"Tora, it's Zack." the black-haired man said. There were a few moments of silence before the curtain was pulled back and a gold eye poked out of the crack.
"Hi," the experiment croaked, "They upped the freaking dosage today."
"Nasty. I've brought you someone to cheer you up. He's in for a bruised arm and his shots." The curtain was pulled back further and Cloud caught his first sighting of a Wutaiian girl. She had long orange and black hair and pale olive skin. Over a simple tank top and pants she wore a Shinra-issued shirt, most likely to keep her warm and decent in the eyes of the law.
"I'm Tora. Tora Altona." She extended her left hand – the one not connected to a bandaged upper arm – and the blond took it, shaking.
"Cloud." he replied shyly. Zack grinned at the two; poor girl needed more friends around here. Tora choked on air and spun around, heaving into the bucket the nurse had given her out of pity before moving to tend to another patient. Cloud grimaced.
"Sorry," Straightening up, Tora grabbed a mint from the bed and popped it into her mouth, "Normally I'm pretty good with the shots."
"You're pretty good with your English, too." the blond commented.
"Zack and General Sephiroth taught me. They were sick of me babbling to myself in my native language because they couldn't understand jack shit."
"I wonder who taught you that..." The General himself swept into the room and handed the girl a small wrapped present, "The redheaded Turk sends this with his regards."
"I'll open it when I feel stronger. Cloud, can you come here please?" Blinking big blue eyes, the guard looked up at the two First Class SOLDIERs for explanation. They just ushered him forward until he was close to the Wutaiian girl. Tora leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, grinning.
"Now Cloud's a friend too!" she exclaimed before doubling over to throw up again. Cloud blinked again.
"What?" he asked.
"It's a Wutaiian thing; friends are made by kissing the cheek of the person the Wutaiian wants to become their friend," the General explained, "She already got us." Everyone winced as a particularly loud heave came from in front of them.
"Poor Tora..." Zack sighed.
A kiss on the cheek: Friendship.
=^w^=
-The Second Kiss: The Forehead-
(Setting: An inn room.)
Life wasn't fair to either of them.
"This is all my fault...if I wasn't there he would still be here with us."
"Stop that, Cloud. Zack would've had no choice but to go on that mission anyway." A blue glare was sent the Wutaiian's way, but the pain and loss of feeling Tora felt almost made it rebound back to Cloud. The large sword in his hands glinted in the dim light of the room they'd rented for the night while they pieced themselves back together enough to journey further away from their old jobs.
Zack Fair, lifelong friend and SOLDIER through and through, had been killed right in front of Cloud's eyes on a mission.
A soft sob made the blond look up at the eighteen-year-old, who was rubbing at her eyes rather harshly and rubbing at her bandaged arm. She'd had her last injection before he took her away.
"Tora?"
"I'm fine!" she snapped, striding to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Cloud sighed and moved over to the closed door, pressing his gloved hand against the wood.
"Can I come in?" he asked finally.
"No!" Tora yelled back, "I don't want you to see me like this."
"There's nothing wrong with crying, Tora. Come on, let me in." The door flew open and the Wutaiian girl barrelled forward, caught by the ex-SOLDIER who quickly sat down on the bed and ran his fingers through her long hair. Warm tears dampened his shirt and shoulder armour but he made no move to tell her to go cry somewhere else; they were all the other had.
"Cloud?" Looking down, the blond blinked as Tora leaned up and pressed her lips to his forehead gently, her cheeks still slightly wet. He returned the gesture and placed her head back on his shoulder.
"Promise me you won't go anywhere like Zack and my father did." she whispered.
"I promise." he whispered back.
A kiss on the forehead: Let's be together forever.
=^w^=
-The Third Kiss: The Ear-
(Setting: The Wall Market.)
She supposed creeping around near Don Corneo's mansion and the Honey Bee Inn was a bad idea, but how else was she supposed to get information about Shinra and the new rebel group AVALANCHE? Tapping her foot impatiently, Tora slipped into a careless facade and headed into the alleyway her informant had told her to meet him in.
The Wall Market was no place for a Wutaiian gunslinger like herself; the stories that floated around the joint about Don Corneo gave her chills.
"You're here."
Spinning on her heel Tora faced her informant, who held a length of rope in his hands. Her fingers twitched, but she kept calm.
"Dare I ask why you're threatening me with a length of rope?" she asked. The informant tugged on the length of rope and began advancing, a menacing glint in his eye.
"I was made a better offer," he replied, leering, "You're coming with me." He lunged then, the rope grabbing thin air as Tora barrel-rolled out of the way, kicking him in the sternum. Winded, the informant made another grab at her long hair, but the end of the braid flicked him in the face before his fingers could curl around the twisted strands. The gunslinger delivered several hard punches to his face and chest before pinning him to the ground, a silver handgun pointed at his head.
"I had a feeling that you'd do something as stupid as that," she panted, "so I took the liberty of investigating you. Did you know that Don Corneo only takes pretty women?" The gun was pressed further into his temple. The informant gulped; why did he accept the offer again?
Oh yeah, more Gil.
"Why you're after me, I have no idea; I've already been." A shot was fired, "Go tell your boss that he can come get me himself if he's so damn adamant to have me again." The informant scurried out of the alleyway toward the mansion, Tora casually strolling along after him. She turned her head to the Honey Bee Inn, where it looked like a small scuffle was taking place outside. Running over, she spotted two women being hassled by several gentlemen, each wanting to rip the clothes off the girls. Arming herself, she charged.
"Alright, enough!" the gunslinger yelled. The crowd immediately backed off, "These ladies are with me."
"Pretty little things like yourselves shouldn't be out here alone." one of the gentlemen leered, the others joining him in a laugh. Tora smiled sweetly and fired at his feet, cursing him in Wutaiian before dragging the two girls away. The brunette nodded at the blonde and scurried off toward the bar.
"Cloud, what the hell are you wearing?" the gunslinger screeched. The blond winced.
"You knew?" he asked, "And why the hell are you here?"
"Why I'm here isn't important right now. Now which poor hooker did you assault to get her dress?"
"Tifa was captured by Don Corneo and I need to get her back." Ignoring the sudden THUD that was her heart falling, Tora allowed her eyes to widen in surprise.
"That jackass!" she exploded, "Oh, if you do go into that room, keep an eye out for three small holes. The bastard ducked before I got the third shot in." Cloud nodded and eyed off the two silver guns sitting casually in the two holsters on her thighs. Tora spun around and started to run.
"Where are you going?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Junon, probably. And then from there onto Nibelheim and the Shinra Mansion; I want to explore the area for information." A hand shot out and grabbed the gunslinger's arm, pulling her into a satin embrace. Cloud leaned down and pecked her ear lobe, leaning back and looking into confused gold eyes.
"Remember that." he murmured, heading toward the bar where the brunette was waving at him. Tora blinked, but turned and ran out of the Wall Market; mako made them do weird things.
A kiss on the ear: You're my everything.
=^w^=
-The Fourth Kiss: The Stomach-
(Setting: The Shinra Mansion.)
"Tora, this place is creepy."
"I think you're just complimenting it, Ethan." The two crept through the dusty hallway of the mansion, keeping a low profile in case the people who were already here decided to go looking for them. Burn marks littered their arms, necks and faces, the worst mark being on Ethan's cheek. He clung to Tora's free hand – the hand she didn't hold a gun in – and kept his brown eyes pointedly ahead.
"Ethan, duck!" Tora raised her gun and fired, creating a small cave-in of the door to the corridor they were down. Yelling and cursing came from the other side of the rubble, and the two made a break for it to the other end of the hall.
"Stupid spear-wielding psycho..." she muttered.
"Who was that?" the fourteen-year-old asked.
"Don't know," They ducked another round of fire, "don't care." Skidding into a large room, they hid behind a dusty bookcase as footsteps approached. Ethan clapped a hand over his mouth as the door opened, revealing a woman in a short skirt and a man carrying a large sword. Tora nearly kicked herself.
She should've known Cloud was going to be here.
"Let's go, Cloud." the woman said, adjusting the braces over her shoulders, "They're not here."
"Yes they are. Watch this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch that gave off an odd glow: Tora's materia bag. Gold eyes narrowed – where the hell did she drop that? – and she fired at the light above them. Shards of glass rained down on the two in the doorway, and Ethan took his opportunity and stole the bag back from the blond. As he hid again Tora made a motion for him to stay and revealed herself, her two guns pointed at them both.
"Who are you?" the woman asked. Tora said nothing, instead shooting at the wall behind them then shoulder-shoving them out of the way. The woman retaliated with a sound kick to her leg which crippled the gunslinger, but didn't slow her down. They ran out to the main hall, Tora standing as straight as she could with a sore leg.
"Who are you?" the woman asked again.
"No one you need to know about." Tora replied harshly as Cloud and Ethan entered the fray. The woman rushed forward and delivered a punch to the gunslinger's stomach, winding and knocking her out. As the Wutaiian slumped to the ground unconscious, Ethan gasped.
"You killed her!" he yelled.
"Tora's fine, Ethan," Cloud explained, "Tifa didn't hit her that hard." The woman rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"So your name's Ethan?" she asked the teenager, who nodded, "It's nice to meet you." The boy blushed at being addressed by a pretty woman, now that she wasn't the scary fighter he'd just seen.
"Tifa, can you take Ethan to Cid? I'll take care of Tora." Cloud gave her a pointed look, which she got clearly, ushering the boy away from the main hall. The blond looked over at the gunslinger, who was sitting up rubbing at her stomach.
"You sure can pick 'em, Cloud," Tora said, "It's times like that I'm almost glad I was an experiment." The swordsman chuckled and knelt down, lifting her shirt to take a look at the dark bruise that was slowly lightening. He kissed the dark skin and sat back, waiting for a reaction.
"Your lips are warm." she said after a while, "Well, now that we've reaffirmed our friendship I need to get Ethan and get going. We're heading to Midgar."
"What are you going to do there?" Both stood up and checked their equipment; everything seemed to be in place.
"For one, settle down somewhere. I'm sick of travelling," Tora quickly hugged her friend, "Two, probably get a job so I can help support other children like Ethan who need help." Turning, she headed in the direction Tifa had gone with Ethan to collect the teen and head out of there. Cloud rubbed at the back of his head, feeling slightly dejected.
She still didn't quite get it...
A kiss on the stomach: I'm ready.
=^w^=
-The Fifth Kiss: The Hand-
(Setting: The back of 'Seventh Heaven'.)
KNOCK KNOCK.
Cloud looked up at the door, small bouts of pain shooting through his neck and head at the action. The door opened and Tora stepped into the room, carrying a blackened cloth which she rubbed at the right side of her head.
"Tifa told me you'd be in here," she said, looking past him to the second bed, "How is he?"
"He should be alright." he replied. The gunslinger nodded and put her cloth down on the table, revealing her own Geostigma curling around her right eye where her birthmark should be. She sat beside the blond on the first bed, resting her hands on her knees.
"It's not fair," she whispered, "Of all people to be affected, why Denzel?"
"I could ask the same thing about you." Cloud looked over at his friend, who had given him a confused look in response to his statement, "Some things are out of our hands, no matter how much we wish to change them."
"We learnt that a long time ago, huh?"
"Why me, though?" Gold eyes rolled. Not another monologue...Standing up, Tora faced the swordsman and poked him on the nose to get his attention.
"Life is not about you all the time, Cloud. We get that you're still moping over Zack and your friend Aerith, but those people adored you because you had a fight in you," Blue eyes looked down in sorrow at the mention of the two people he was close to, "What do you think they'd say if they saw you now? I bet I know: 'Cloud, where's your fight? Did you lose it?' That's a pathetic image, don't you think?" Those blue eyes that once glittered with sorrow now flared up in anger at the Wutaiian woman standing in front of him. Tora didn't flinch under his scrutiny; her gaze glittered with sorrow as much as his did.
"But...I couldn't save them..." he said.
"They died doing what they loved. If I had a choice, I'd want to die protecting my family, Ethan, Justin and Nero but the damn mako in my body has given me a longer lifespan, hasn't it? You said it before: some things are out of our hands, but I'd like to think that those things have given me a reason to keep going and change the things I can change." The gunslinger sat down and grabbed at one of his hands, removing his glove and kissing his palm, "There are people here that adore you. They look up to you – Denzel, I know, does – and if you mope about the way you are now, their adoration of you will be shattered into a thousand pieces." Laying his glove on his lap, the gunslinger stood up and left the room.
Cloud stared down at his bare hand, and the spot where her lips had brushed his skin. Clenching his hand into a fist, he stood up and left the room also; there were still a few things he needed to do.
A kiss on the hand: I adore you.
=^w^=
-The Sixth Kiss: The Neck-
(Setting: The plateau.)
The silence was welcoming.
"Hi Zack," Tora knelt down in front of the large rusted sword and placed a single pear blossom at its base, "I guess I should apologise for not coming to see you; I've just opened up the Lost Pathways Orphanage, you see, and the children take all my time away. You remember what I was like a long time ago, when I saved those kids during the mission you managed to convince Angeal to take me on?" She laughed softly at the memory.
"Well, moving on from that. Everything's peaceful again; something I don't think we ever saw during our time with Shinra. Cloud saved the day yet again, like he promised you he would. He's really living up to your legacy, Zack. You'd be really proud of him if you were still here.
"I rescued a young girl a few months ago named Adelaide. You'd be able to spot her in a crowd; she looks like Genesis, even has his scowl. No surprises though; she's his illegitimate daughter, not that either of them know that. I read the report that madman Hojo put together, and apparently he'd collected the little Genesis spawn and impregnated a young woman eleven years ago. Adelaide is a beautiful girl, though; soft-spoken and very bright. You'd love her." The sound of a motorcycle reached the gunslinger's ears and she stood up, still staring at the rusted sword.
"I really wish you were still here," she whispered as Cloud walked up behind her, "You'd be amazed at how much we've all changed and how much your place is still cemented in our hearts. We all still love you and think of you every day." A single tear slipped out of a gold eye, which was wiped away by a single gloved finger.
"Does it still hurt?" the blond asked. The gunslinger nodded.
"That doesn't mean that it hasn't gotten better," she replied, "The pear blossom means everlasting friendship, which is what Zack and I had; we just...belonged together that way." She smiled then, gold eyes glittering with tears that threatened to fall at the memory of their black-haired friend, "Gaia, look at me; he'd probably tell me I was being a sap and hug me to make me feel better if he was still here."
"Tora, you're being a sap." One of Cloud's arms anchored her to him while the other pushed a section of her long hair away from the back of her neck, his lips brushing the skin there. Tora giggled and placed her hand on her chest, where her tattoo resided: her anchor (1) tattoo.
"There are many reasons to hold onto hope," she recited, her father's words floating through her head, "Some give their lives for it, some kill for it, and some ride on existing planes. The creation of hope, meanwhile, is the strongest reason anyone can give for holding onto what they believe in. The single light in the darkness reminds us that there are many things worth fighting for, whether they be material or otherwise, and we must remember to keep fighting for that, no matter what the stakes." The wind blew gently over the plateau, and from the Lifestream Zack smiled.
It looked like his hope of matchmaking had paid off after all.
A kiss on the neck: We belong together.
=^w^=
-The Seventh Kiss: The Shoulder-
(Setting: The 'Lost Pathways Orphanage'.)
"I'm going out there."
"No you're not. The kids need you."
"Reeve and Vincent need me more! They can't save the orphanage by themselves; they don't know the way around, for one."
"So where did Ethan take everyone?"
"There's a room called the 'Safe Zone' everyone goes to during a crisis like this. Only they and I know its location."
"Okay then..." Even in the flashes of gunfire Tora could tell Cloud didn't believe her. Rolling her eyes, she loaded her guns and spun them around on her fingers, testing out the weight of the new ammunition Vincent had given her a while ago.
"Before you go," Cloud drew in a breath, "Let me say something first." The guns were holstered and gold eyes swivelled onto him.
"Alright then." the gunslinger said. Drawing in another breath, the blond opened his mouth.
"Every time I watch you walk away from me something keeps nagging me to grab you by the arm and tie you to the nearest pole to keep you with me," he began slowly, "I first experienced this feeling when I first watched you walk away with...Sephiroth...but Zack just told me it was part of growing up. When you reappeared in the Wall Market and the Shinra Mansion I thought the kisses I gave you would be a big incentive for you to stay and travel with us, but I guess they weren't."
"...are you admitting to being human?" Tora asked.
"Shut up; I'm not done," She held up her hands in defence but kept silent, "I can't ignore it anymore, Tora, which is why I'm going to make a promise to you right now." Crossing the room, the swordsman disarmed the gunslinger and wrapped her in a tight embrace.
"When this is over I promise you that I will act upon my words and prove that what I feel for you is true." he murmured into her ear. The red flush that erupted over Tora's face could've lit up the city of Edge with its intensity. Leaning back slightly, she looked up into clear blue eyes, finding only the truth swirling in their depths. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his right shoulder, smiling.
"Don't think I didn't know what those kisses meant, Cloud," she said, "Our paths were leading us in two different directions at those points in time, but hopefully when this is over we can make them join again like they did when we first met."
"I'll make sure that happens." Picking up First Tsurugi, Cloud exited the room and headed for the front of the orphanage where he could hear the machine gun fire of Barrett. Re-arming herself the gunslinger headed for the back to where Vincent and Reeve were fighting, her mind still on the blond's confession.
A kiss on the shoulder: I want you.
=^w^=
-The Final Kiss: The Lips-
(Setting: WRO headquarters.)
"And so, in memory of those who are loved and are not here with us, I ask for you to bow your heads for a minute's remembrance." Reeve led the congregation in a remembrance ceremony, putting his chin on his chest and closing his eyes. Everyone present followed suit – AVALANCHE, Rufus Shinra and his Turks, and Tora and her six full-time orphanage children.
"Right, that's enough sorrow for one day. Let's move into a more pleasant atmosphere and have a refreshing break, alright?" the WRO president said, leading the congregation into another hall where tables had been set out, laden with food and drink. The children all dashed into the open space, running around and enjoying the free time they had.
"How are you doing, Tora?" Yuffie asked the orphanage owner.
"Yeah, another few days and I get my arm back again," Tora replied, "What about you?"
"Are you kidding? I'm as good as new!" The ninja struck a pose then and there, making her Wutaiian companion laugh.
"Well, that's good to hear. Emma, can you tell Lily to pick one thing please?" The tomboy child nodded and moved to the younger Wutaiian, muttering to her in their native language. Lily nodded and picked up a small piece of cheese, nibbling on it daintily. Gold eyes rolled at the small girl's eating habits, but a sip of punch stopped all argument about the subject; it wouldn't be fair to pick up Lily for not eating enough and Ryan on eating too much. Tifa walked up to the Wutaiian pair, Denzel and Marlene at her sides with Vincent flanking her from behind.
"Hi guys." Yuffie greeted the quartet.
"Hey Yuffie, hey Tora." Denzel replied, "Have you seen Justin or Nero?"
"Knowing your luck, Denzel, they're playing hide and seek. See how good you are." Tora replied, smiling as the brown-haired boy dashed off to find the two ten-year-olds. Marlene giggled at her brother's antics and hugged the martial artist's leg shyly.
"Tora, Cloud wanted to see you up on the balcony. He said he had something to talk to you about." the busty woman said, "When I asked him about it he claimed it was strictly between you two."
"You'd be surprised what he wants to talk to me about. Vincent, I never really got to thank you for helping us save the orphanage." Walking past the two girls, the orphanage owner wrapped her good arm around the ex-Turk's waist and gave it a squeeze, feeling him return the embrace albeit a little reluctantly. As she pulled away she watched Chaos flash in his crimson eyes; he wanted another hug.
"It was nothing, Tora. You need all the help you can get with the children." he replied stiffly. Tora giggled.
"I know, and I thank everyone for their help. Now if you'll excuse me, I know one ex-SOLDIER that doesn't like to be kept waiting." Smiling at Marlene the orphanage owner departed, finding said ex-SOLDIER right where Tifa said he would be: on the balcony overlooking the party. It was a secluded spot – far away enough to give privacy but still a bit public.
"What kept you?" Cloud asked as he heard her footsteps approach.
"I had to thank Vincent for his help in saving the orphanage," she replied, "Yuffie was also talking to me." A quiet snort came from the blond as he turned fully to face the female gunslinger, reaching out and running his hand gently over the bandages around her right shoulder.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Tora asked, unconsciously stepping closer to him.
"Remember what I told you just before we went out to help Reeve and Vincent?" Cloud replied, his hand moving to her hip. The orphanage owner nodded slowly as mako blue eyes bored into her own glowing gold ones, licking her lips.
"Are you going to make that come true now?"
"Yes." No other words were said, as their lips were too busy to speak. Tora's good hand gripped at the blond's vest in an effort to pull him closer while his hands positioned themselves on her back.
A loud wolf whistle suddenly echoed from underneath them.
"Reno, you are DEAD when I get down there!"
"Worth it, Tora, so worth it!"
A kiss on the lips: I love you.
=^w^=
1: Anchors are a symbol of hope, apparently. Don't believe me? Google it.
DISCLAIMER: The disclaimer applies to the characters and settings of 'Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII', 'Final Fantasy VII', 'Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children' and 'Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII' – Tetsuya Nomura and SquareEnix – and Tora, her family, the Lost Pathways Orphanage, Ethan, Emma, Ryan, Adelaide , Justin, Nero and Lily – me.