The air was thick with smoke and dust. The flames danced around me and licked at my grey and charcoaled skin. I was crawling, trying to escape the heavy, dirty air and tried to reach the last bit of fresh air in my burning, crumbled childhood home.I grabbed for anything that might help me pull myself through the house. I coughed a bloody, raspy cough that didn't help the lack of fresh air. My throat was burning as I inhaled more smoke with every breath I took. I made it to the door and glanced back. My home was engulfed with flames and I saw my once brightly smiling father, dead on the kitchen floor. I cried out but forced myself outside. With shaky legs, I attempted to stand up. After a few unsuccessful tries, I finally was able to. I knew my dizziness was from breathing in too much smoke. I saw my whole street, my whole town was up in flames. I grabbed onto whatever I could to balance myself. I looked back at the burned building that held so many memories, so much life spent in that house and I watched as it collapsed, crushing anything and anyone that was in it. I forced back the tears, crying would come later. Right now I was in survival mode.

I built the adrenaline to run. It was wobbly but effective. I made it far enough where the air wasn't overpowered by smoke and gasped for the air. I tried to consume as much fresh air as possible and it was refreshing to kill the burn in my throat. I fell on my hands and knees in relief, but my eyesight was foggy and blurry. My eyes burned form the smoke and I was positive it made me look as if I was crying. I stood and blindly began trying to make my way further. I finally came to what I could see was a road. Everything was distorted. My sight, my hearing, my breathing. Everything. If I wasn't already lucky, luck finally struck me. I saw a light. It could've been a car or a motorcycle, but I could hear an engine. I attempted to wave them down when I realized, I couldn't speak. Then I knew it was a motorcycle due to the single light that pulled over. There was a flash of red then a voice saying," Are you okay?" I believe it to be masculine but at this point I could be wrong of anything.

"Help," I managed to say. I didn't know if I could trust this person. I didn't know if this was an actual person or just a trick of my mind, but I needed someone, anyone. For the first time in my life I put all my faith in a stranger. As I felt my eyesight descend into a even blurrier state. I collapsed, but I didn't hit the ground.

From a distance I heard the voice say, "Everything will be okay." Then I blacked out.

...

I felt a pounding in my head. It felt like a hammer was beating the inside of my skull. My eyes weren't open or I just couldn't see. MY throat still had a burning but it was only mild. Then my eyelids fluttered open. The light was blinding and my eyes burned intensely, probably from the smoke that previously was in the air. The brightness caused immediate discomfort and I groaned. My ears were ringing and I felt dirty compared to the clean air. I tried to see through squinted eyes. It helped slightly. Then my eyes fully adjusted. I saw what appeared to be a bedroom. The bed I was on was foreign. I looked around me and saw a picture. It was across the room so I couldn't make out the people in it.

A young girl, about eight, skipped in the room. She looked up at me and smiled shyly. "Daddy! The girl is awake!" She called out. So I guess I wasn't imagining someone saving me. A large black man walked into the room along with two other girls who looked about my age. He looked at me and smiled. It was friendly.

"Hello. My name is Barret," he said and walked further into the room. The little girl smiled and ran to one side of my bed.

"I am Marlene!" She had light brown hair and brown eyes. Her hair was braided back and had a pink bow in it. She was adorable.

"My name is Aerith," said the girl in pink. She wore a long pink dress with a pink jacket. Her hair was similar to Marlene's but she didn't have bangs.

"I am Yuffie," said the other girl. She was shorter and wore a green shirt and had short black hair.

"What is your name?" Marlene asked.

"My-my name is Tifa. Tifa Lockhart," I said in a scratchy voice.

"Nice to meet you Tifa. A friend of ours found you on the side of a road. You waved his motorcycle down and he caught you right before you passed out. Do you remember that?" Barret asked. I nodded slowly, cautiously. "Good, well he wants to come by later and see how you are doing. In the mean time you may take a shower and get comfortable. I am sure Yuffie and Aerith will help you out with another outfit." I nodded again. HE smiled and left the room. I removed the blankets from over me and stood up. I almost fell but I balanced. The girls tried to help me but I waved them off.

I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I got in the shower and almost immediately relaxed. Then I was reminded what happened as the dirt and dust washed away. I flash backed to looking back at my father. My breath caught in my throat and I felt tears form in my eyes. I felt them fall down my face and disappear down the drain with the water from the shower head. I curled up on the floor and cried. I had a filthiness that was inside of me. The feeling of guilt overwhelmed me. I should've gone back for my father. When I was out of tears I stood up and got out of the shower. I wrapped a towel around me and entered the room that Aerith and Yuffie left my new clothes in. I grabbed them when the door opened. A red haired man came in and almost instinctively I picked up something to throw. He caught my arm.

I looked in his eyes. They were mako infused blue eyes that were piercing. "SOLDIER," I muttered as I yanked my arm from his grip.

"So I am guessing you don't like SOLDIERs?"

"One of them burnt down my town. So yeah I don't like SOLDIER."

"Well isn't it ironic that a SOLDIER saved you from your burning down town."

I turned to look at him. "You were the guy on the motorcycle?"

"You could see me?" I gulped slightly. Remembering the blurriness of the single light coming down the only road of hope I had. The red flash before I blacked out.

"Barely."

"Well I came to check on you. You know throwing something is not a good way to treat your saviour."

"I saved myself. If it weren't for me you wouldn't have known about me. You would've driven through and I would've found my own way down that road."

"A simple thank you will help," he said with a cocky grin.

"Fine. Thank you."

"You are very welcome. So your name is Tifa?"

"Yes."

"I am Genesis First Class SOLDIER."

"Congratulations," I said sarcastically.

"You know you have been out for week," he said laying on the bed.

"Okay."

"Where do you plan on going?"

"Can we finish the game of twenty question when I actually have clothes on please?" I said and walked into the bathroom. I got in the clothes and walked back into the bedroom. He was still laying on the bed with a cocky grin that I wanted to slap off his face. "I am not a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself."

"Fine then if you are so fine on your own. You obviously don't need us around. I will just tell Barret you have things al figured out and you are ready to leave." He began to get up and leave.

"Wait," I said. I took a deep breath. "I am an orphan. My mom died a while back and now my dad is gone due to the fire. I watched him die. I watched my home from my entire life crumble and collapse on top of my father's body. I fought my way out of there. So I am fine on my own and I can figure things out but until then I need somewhere to stay." I was surrendering to more than I would to my best friend to this stranger. I would never admit I was weak to anyone and I still won't but that was the smallest bit of weakness I would show. "If you want to kick me out, it is fine by me and I will find a way." I now looked up at him. He looked pitiful and speechless.

"I am sorry."

"I don't need your sympathy. I just need a temporary place to stay."

"You can stay here." I wanted to say thank you but I just nodded. He left me to my thoughts when he exited the room. This was not a permanent arrangement. I figure things out and then get out of here, I thought