Crossing the Line
A Final Fantasy FanFic
A/N: This idea came to me in the form of a dream during an Anime Convention! (crazy huh?) I've always wanted to write something like this, and here it is!
I do not own any work produced by Square Enix, this includes Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and any others mentioned in this fic.
Chp. 1: The Life of An Otaku
"Tifa, I-I love you." Cloud whispered softly into her hair. Tifa felt tears sting her eyes and her heart beat faster. Those words, the ones she had waited so long to hear, they seemed almost unreal now. She couldn't believe this was reality. She lifted her tear- crimson eyes up to meet the deep sky blue Mako ones. "Truly?" She gasped.
Cloud didn't answer in words, only pressed his lips to hers.
I sighed, the warm, fuzzy feeling filling my entire body. Yeah, okay, so it was dumb, but I thought it was cute. Reluctantly I looked at the clock. 2:30 AM. I groaned. Time for bed. Slowly I shut down the computer and dragged myself to bed. Though my thoughts were filled with confessions of Cloti goodness, I managed to fall asleep.
I awoke with a start to the loud crescendo of emotion of One-Winged Angel. A moan escaped me as I slammed the alarm off, falling back on my pillow. "I hate mornings." I forced myself out of bed, wincing as my head pounded. "That's what you get for reading fan-fics that late." I scolded as I dragged myself to the bathroom.
My reflection however, made me smile. For as long as I remember, I've looked like Tifa Lockheart. I have the long ebony hair, the crimson-ish eyes. It always made me happy that I looked like her. See, Tifa is my hero, heroine I guess. I look up to her, want to be like her, she's the perfect role model. Problem is, she doesn't really exist. But, I try not to think of that.
I brushed my teeth and walked out of the bathroom yawning. My tired eyes glanced around my room, filled with posters and figures. I think you can guess who they're of. I don't know what's more ridiculous, having a video game character be your hero, or being in love with one. It didn't matter that he was CG, all that mattered were those beautiful glowing blue eyes…
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and opened the closet door. "Time to get back to reality." I said as I picked my outfit. The leather was soft as I held it; a smile crept to my lips. "Well, sort of."
I work at RPG Gamers, a used game store that doesn't pay much and attracts the weirdest people around. Why do I work there you ask? Because it's the only place where they let me cosplay at work.
I am basically the complete opposite of the closet otaku. I never hide my obsession. I guess in many ways, it keeps me from having a "normal life", but it's what makes me happy, and that was what my mother always said was important.
Okay, a little background on me:
My name is Tiffany Lockhart, but people (obviously) call me Tifa. I have been obsessed with Final FantasyVII ever since I first saw the container of the game. My parents both died when I was ten. When the game came out. Sometimes I think I'm so obsessed because it reminds me of my parents, of the good times I had. 'Cause everything went downhill from there. I lived in an orphanage for eight years until I graduated from high school. College was no different, I was still teased for my obsession, made a few friends (all otaku) and managed to graduate. Now, I live on my own, working at a game store, trying to figure out what to do with my life.
I sighed. Maybe I should give up. Everything I've done in my life ever since my parents died has been to try to become Tifa. I act like her, I look like her, even learned martial arts and bartending to be like her. Some people have even said that I sound like her. I know it's not real, but it's all I have.
I sighed again, two more hours 'till the con. Two more hours until I can be with the people who understand me the best. I couldn't wait. My head swirled with thoughts of cosplayers, panels, art, everything.
My name being called jarred me out of my thoughts. I looked around wildly to see the grumpy face of my boss. "Stop daydreaming Lockheart, the inventory is not getting done with you standing here with that look on your face." I blushed. "Sorry sir." He grunted and walked off. I smirked. This happened all the time, the only reason why he hadn't fired me yet was because I could still kick his ass at Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
The con at last! I breathed in the long awaited smell of otakuness. Already, people had begun to turn their heads at the sight of me, whispering how much I looked like Tifa. I smiled with pride. This was what I was proud of. I felt a tug on my skirt and looked down to see a girl cosplaying as Marlene. I smiled, assuming the role.
"Marlene!" I said, bending down. She grinned and hugged me then turned to a woman behind her. "Mom!" she cried, "It's Tifa!"
I looked up to see the girl's mother, smiling with a camera. A pang of nostalgia hit my heart as I remembered my own mother. What would my life have been like if they were still alive? The woman's question jarred me back to reality. "Oh yes, of course you can take my picture." I stammered, posing with the little girl.
The camera clicked and the little girl ran off. "Bye Tifa! Hope you find Cloud!" She cried, turning back. I smiled. I hope I do too…
So far, the con had been what I imagined it would, tons of otaku, cosplayers, the works. I was having the time of my life but I couldn't help but feel a little lonely. I always went to cons by myself, and seeing groups of people cosplaying, well, it made me feel like Tifa when Cloud would go to Aerith's church. I sat down, sighing to rest a bit, my eyes blurring slightly from watching people.
I felt the slight weight of someone sitting next to me. "Hello Tifa." A familiar voice said.
I turned, curious and smiled. "Hello Rude." The man sitting next to me was, well Rude. I had never seen a more perfect cosplay. He looked exactly like him, down to the earrings and bald head. He even acted like him, his serious personality radiating. I couldn't help but smile, maybe he was someone like me.
The Rude cosplayer looked around. "Are you busy at the moment?"
"No," I said slowly. "Why?"
Rude looked at me, his expression unreadable behind those sunglasses. "The President would like to see you."
Now this was getting strange. I had heard of hardcore cosplayers but, even this was getting out of hand. Nevertheless, I was bored and decided to play along. "Why would Rufus want to see me?" I inquired.
Rude shrugged. "President's orders." He stood, offering a hand to me. "Come, it's not far."
I took his hand, still confused but curious. He led me to the elevator and pressed the up button. When it opened, I was greeted by another familiar face.
"Hey, so you found her. Yo Tifa!" Said the red-haired Turk, a smile plastered on his face. I grinned. Another amazing cosplayer I concluded.
"Yo, Reno." Rude motioned me into the elevator and Reno pressed the button to the twenty-third floor. An awkward silence settled. I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into.
Reluctantly I broke the silence. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on?"
The two Turks looked at each other and then me. I put my hands on my hips and scowled. It was strange how comfortable I felt with these two. Almost as if I was really Tifa and they were really Rude and Reno…
Rude looked away almost guiltily. Reno just raised his hands in defeat. "Sorry Teef, President's orders."
As strange as this all was, I didn't feel unsafe, so despite the confusion, I decided to keep playing along.
Eventually, we reached our destination, I followed the Turks silently, still in my state of confusion that was quickly turning to doubt. What was I doing?
They reached a room and knocked. Another familiar voice answered. "Who is it?"
"Reno and Rude yo. We found her."
The door opened to reveal the owner of the voice. Yes, I was right, Elena.
She nodded to me as I walked past her. I still couldn't understand why I felt so comfortable around these people, after all, Final Fantasy wasn't real, right?
The appearance of the man in front of me broke my thoughts. I almost gasped, the perfect cosplay thing was starting to become unreal.
"So, here you are, Tifa Lockhart."
I stared at Rufus Shinra, sitting in the wheelchair. Something about this situation told me I was in for a big surprise. Somehow, Elena had forced me into a chair. My efforts to "play along" rebelled.
"Okay, what's the meaning of all this." I said, annoyance gracing my tone. "Is this some kind of elite cosplay club or something?"
My mood broke when Rufus started laughing. "I suppose you could say that Miss Lockheart." He said, amusement lacing his voice.
"Seriously," I continued, becoming exasperated. "What is this? And my real name's not Tifa."
Rufus rasied an eyebrow. "Oh, it isn't? I wouldn't be so sure about that." He turned to the Turk standing behind him. "Tseng."
I looked up wearily to see that it was indeed Tseng standing behind Rufus. He walked up to me and handed me what seemed to be a profile. I took it, a confused look on my face. When I saw it, I almost dropped it in shock.
The profile was of me. My name, date of birth, anything and everything about me was typed onto that page. There was even a photo clipped to the edge. "What is this?" I shouted, outraged standing up. This was way too creepy for me to take now.
To my surprise, Rufus stood up. "Now, Tifa, calm down. I have an interesting proposition for you. You see, we've been looking for you for some time now."
I kept standing. "And why is that?" I said, my voice icy.
He sighed. I could feel the tension in the room. "Tifa, do you remember what happened last week?"
I sighed and racked my brain. Last week? Nothing! Except…
I looked up. "The bombings in Chicago?"
He nodded. "Yes. However, Chicago was not attacked with bombs. It was something bigger but the news covered it up for the truth was well, unreal."
"What was it?" I said softly.
"Something only fans of Final Fantasy would understand. Summons."
Okay, now I knew this had to be a joke. So, I laughed. "Right, you're telling me summons exist? Sorry, I may be an otaku but I do live in the real world."
Rufus Shinra sighed. "Yes, I know it is hard to understand. Perhaps Tseng could give you some background."
I frowned, sitting back down.
Tseng spoke. "When Final Fantasy was created, it triggered something in the world. Suddenly, there was a game that played on people's emotions, had characters that people could relate to, created heros. So, the boundaries of fantasy and reality were broken and people, became those characters."
"What do you mean, 'became those characters'?
"I mean that they gained physical and spiritual attributes to the characters. People like me, Rufus, and you."
I was stunned. "Me?"
"Yes," Rufus spoke again. "You were, and are destined to be Tifa Lockheart."
I was frazzeled. "Wait, you mean, Final Fantasy actually exists?"
"In a sense, yes. Square Enix, after discovering us, built our worlds, in a secret place, as a sort of haven for us and others who have lost everything."
"So, there are more of us?"
Rufus nodded. "All the characters ever created. We have organized them into a group, called the Square Enix Fighters. Final Fantasy is not the only game, all games from Square are included."
"So I could meet up with like, Vivi on the street?" I was having a hard time believing this.
"Theoretically yes. However, since we have already located Vivi, his appearances are restricted to conventions. It's not exactly normal for the public to see a child whose face is a shadow and eyes are yellow orbs now is it?"
I ran my fingers through my hair. "I guess not."
"You see Tifa, unlike most of us, some of the Fighters can no longer be seen in the real world because of their physical appearance. Vivi is a prime example."
"So… people like Freya, Quina, Kimarhi?"
"Yes, even Zidane. The tail is too obvious. Sora is just pushing it with the hair."
"I see, but, couldn't we just say it's all an elaborate costume?"
"Not exactly, if the normal world found out we existed, well, let's just say we might be the source of the next world war."
"Why is that?"
"Because the Square Enix Fighters are only the heros. Our sister organization, houses all the antagonists."
"What, like Sephiroth?"
"Exactly."
"So you're telling me that Sephiroth bombed Chicago?"
"No, I'm telling you that the Remnants summoned Odin on Chicago."
I was completely taken aback. "What?"
"Yes, unlike us, the villains do not realize that Final Fantasy in not real."
"I thought you just said it was real."
"No, it isn't, but we have made it real in our own sense."
"This is so confusing."
"It is alright. I was bewildered when I was found myself. Like I said Tifa, we have been searching for you for some time now. You're the only one we need to complete the group."
"What group?"
"Why, the Final Fantasy VII group of course."
"The group… so you need me to fight the Remnants?"
"Not alone of course. Cloud and the others will accompany you."
I felt a pang of hope at those words. Cloud, he exists…
My head was starting to throb. This was too much to take. Rufus however seemed to see my dilemma.
"Perhaps, we should show you."
I couldn't see the smirk hidden beneath his cloak but I knew it was there.
A/N: Yay! Chp. 1 complete! I'm having a lot of fun writing this, it's like every otaku's dream come true! Well… sort of. Anyway, thanks for reading! If you could spare a few seconds to review that would be greatly appreciated! Next chapter should be up soon!