a/n: This will hopefully be a bit lighter than my past ones. Not as angsty. Oh yeah, the normal disclaimer applies.
Foreshadow
Tifa Lockheart awoke to the sound of birds chirping shrilly outside of her window. She opened her scarlet eyes and squinted as the sunlight poured across her wincing face, causing it to shimmer with radiance. She sat up out of the bed and glared at the streaming sunbeams, then reached her hand over and shut the blinds. She fell carelessly back in bed, and closed her eyes, smiling contently.
She had almost fallen asleep when a sharp rapping signaled from her bedroom door. "Are you awake yet?" came the soft voice of Cloud Strife. The doorknob turned, and he walked inside her bedroom, grinning broadly. "Tifa? You asleep?" he called. Tifa slowly sighed.
"I was before you woke me up, Cloud. What do you want?" she snapped, harsher than she originally intended. Cloud's face looked crestfallen, he started to turn away. "Wait!" Tifa called. She sat up and sighed again, her long, russet hair waving about behind her. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry, Cloud."
She stretched her arms into the air and heaved yet another sigh, aware of Cloud's eyes following her every movement. She finally turned and pushed herself out of bed. She turned toward her spiky-haired friend and said, "C'mon Cloud, let's go make some breakfast," she smiled and walked out of the door, leaving it ajar. Today was going to be a great day.
They trudged down the stairs of the house side-by-side. A gruff voice sounded from downstairs, "Spike! You wake Sleeping Beauty yet? I'm wasting away over here! This pilot needs FOOD!"
Tifa rolled her eyes "Yes, Cid, I AM awake, but that doesn't mean I'm fixing you breakfast! Eat cereal for all I care!"
"Sorry, Teef," he apologized.
Tifa chuckled. "It's okay, Cid. I'm fixing everyone breakfast. Including haggard, foul-mouthed pilots."
"I resent that!" he yelled across the room. Finally reaching the bottom steps, she looked out the front door of her new bar in Kalm Town, Gainsborough. Tifa stared at the rolling plains of Kalm. "They're so beautiful," she absentmindedly whispered.
Cloud looked at her. "What are?"
She tore her eyes away, blushing. "Oh, nothing."
Tifa walked around the staircase into the living room of their bar. Hey eyes fell upon all of her friends, looking agitated and hungry. "Heya Tifa, I want some food!" came a trill voice from behind her. Tifa turned around and smiled at Yuffie Kisaragi.
"Soon enough," She swiveled around and saw everyone's eyes on her. They looked ravenous. "Oh fine! I get the hint. I'll go."
She turned on her heels and headed into the kitchen, amused by the fact that they couldn't even fix their own breakfast. Humming to herself, she pulled out the frying pan, eggs, and bacon.
Soon after, Tifa dished the piles of food onto seven plates. "BREAKFAST!" A burst of cheers sounded from the den, vibrating the house. They all ran to the kitchen and grabbed the first plate possible, and strode to the table. Tifa grabbed her plate and walked over as well. She sat down and eyed her comrades, who (with the exception of Red XIII) were shoveling down her food. She glanced over at the counter, with a remaining plate on it. "Hmm..." she contemplated, "I wonder who didn't get their food..." Glimpsing around the table, she noticed that only six people, including herself, were sitting. "Well, Cait Sith doesn't have to eat, so who the devil..." she trailed off. She crossed her arms and looked once more. "Hey you guys?" she asked. They continued eating. "You guys!" They still ate. "GUYS!!" she screamed. Everyone was silent.
"Yeah Tifa?" Cloud replied, and rather nervously at that.
"Where's Vincent? He's not here."
Cloud shrugged. Yuffie chimed in, "Ooh! I know! He said he was going 'Out'," she made quotation gestures with her hands on the word 'Out'.
"Okay. As long as he gets back soon. He's going to try my cooking this time, or he's not going 'Out' for a month," Tifa declared. Cloud snorted and resumed eating. Tifa started on her plate too. They ate in silence, sans the sound of chewing and silverware. Tifa has just popped a piece of bacon into her mouth a faint scream was heard from outside. Tifa slammed her hands down on the table, her eyes wide. "Did you guys hear that? Someone screamed!"
Barret Wallace looked at her like she was crazy. "I ain't heard nuthin',"
"I can assure you," Red XIII announced, "that there is nothing out there. You must have been hallucinating."
"Either that, or she hearing things," Barret added. Everyone glared at him then looked back at Tifa. She stood up and walked to the counter, putting on her fighting gloves. "Someone out there screamed, and I'm finding out who."
Barret stood up; pounding the table and making Cid's plate spill into his lap. "Now jes' wait one Goddamn minute! Where you think yo' goin' anyway?"
Tifa merely looked at him. "Out."
She opened the door and ran out, pulling a jacket on and leaving Barret and Cid to fight.
She ran down the street and away from Kalm Square, towards where the yell originated. The rolling hills really were beautiful, and the sky was bright blue, completely devoid of the hideous Meteor that dominated it just weeks ago. She slowed to a walk, enjoying the scenery around and humming once more.
After a minute more, Tifa noticed that sky was darkening, and walked a bit faster. Suddenly thunder boomed throughout the plain, jolting Tifa. She saw a large crack of lightning, followed immediately by drops of rain. Tifa began to jog faster. The rain began to pour harder. Tifa ran much faster, now fervently scared. She felt her foot collide with something and found herself lying face down on the wet ground. She pushed herself up, and examined what made her trip. A branch from a nearby tree had shuffle marks from her shoe.
She surveyed the limb once more, and her eyes went wide. A piece of torn crimson fabric was caught on the edge. Tifa gasped as another crack of earsplitting lightning echoed. She looked up, and saw pair of aquamarine eyes flash across the dark sky. They looked down at her with malicious intent. Tifa gasped again and grabbed the shard of red material. An image of Vincent, shrouded in darkness, raced through her mind. "Oh no!" she cried, and turned on her heels and ran.
With each step she took, her heart pounded faster and faster. Tifa panted as her side began to ache. "Sephiroth! He can't be back! NO! We killed him... There is no WAY he could be back," she wheezed. She dashed faster, clutching the cloth in her hand. Her heart seemed like it was going to burst through her chest!
Wind blew and thunder boomed, but Tifa still ran. Her heart was racing, and her legs aching. She stopped and squinted into the rain, trying to catch her breath. She stiffened as she felt something warm on her neck. Tifa turned around, fearing what she would see, but there was nothing behind her. Suddenly a wave of malevolent laughter filled the meadow, sending Tifa running once more. The laughter followed her every step. The green eyes flashed against the purplish sky again.
Tifa saw in the distance a sort of long pole protruding from the ground. She immediately ran toward it, trying to escape the horrible laughter around her. Her drenched hair blew behind her in the fierce wind, but she did not care, and kept running toward the shaft.
She drew nearer and nearer, her pulse racing. "No..." she whispered, "Please... please don't let him be..." Each step she took sent water splashing out of the ground and onto her bare legs, chilling her to the bone. Tifa stopped running, staring at a dark form lying motionless on the ground. She slowly approached, terrified at what it would see. It appeared to be a man lying face-down, and drenched in a dark red puddle.
Tifa gasped and fell to her knees, stricken. The man lying on the ground was Vincent, the Masamune protruding from his back. Sephiroth's Masamune. His cloak rested on top of him, and his black clothes were stained red from his blood. A single strip of fabric was missing from his red cape. Tifa kneeled in the rain, not believing what she saw before her. Vincent Valentine?! DEAD?! This couldn't be happening... Tifa stood up and, with thunder roaring behind her, pulled the Masamune from him and threw it aside.
She ran towards Vincent and turned him onto his back, tears flowing down her tanned cheeks. "Crimson," she thought. "I will never see those crimson eyes again..." She held his cold, motionless body, and his claw-arm dangled limply. Vincent's ebony locks flowed like a stream into her arms. Tifa held her head to his and wept silently. What seemed like an eternity passed, but all Tifa could feel was the cold from Vincent's unmoving body. Suddenly she felt a burning rush of anger from deep within her heart. To avenge Vincent... that was first priority. Slowly looking up with a grimace on her usually smiling face, she saw that the Masamune was... gone.
Her anger turned to horror as the realization dawned on her. She felt warm breath behind her neck once more, and turned, petrified at what she knew was coming. Sephiroth, shirtless and bathed in darkness, stood above her, smirking. She gazed into his jade eyes, and the wicked intent in them. Her pulse raced once more, and her breaths became ragged. Sephiroth held his malevolent sword with a death grip. He raised it higher and higher, ignoring Tifa's vain mercy pleas. Sephiroth leered once more, and tossed his head and lightning flashed above, tossing silver bangs out of his sneering face. "NOOOOOO!!!!!" Tifa screamed. He bellowed an evil, heartless laugh and swung the sword down.
Tifa jolted and shot out of bed like a rocket, breathing hard and drenched in sweat. She looked at her hands and sighed, still panting. "A dream," she whispered to herself. "That's all it was... a dream." Lightning crashed outside and Tifa jumped out of bed. She opened the door and raced down the stairs of her new bar. Cloud stood in the kitchen, looking content. "Oh Cloud!" she cried. Cloud looked at her and smiled. "Good morning Tifa! You know, it's the strangest thing... one minute the sky is clear blue, and the next it's raining cats and-"he was cut off as Tifa jumped into his arms.
He staggered under her weight, but didn't force away. Tifa only hugged him like this if it was something important. "Oh Cloud... it was awful!" she whispered softly, closing her eyes tightly. She held him for minutes, with Cloud patting her gently on the back. Suddenly her eyes went wide. "Vincent!" she exclaimed. She broke free and raced back upstairs and screeched left, making skid marks in her hurry. Cloud stared after her, dumbfounded.
Tifa rushed into Vincent's room without knocking (though she almost knocked down the door), and breathed a sigh of relief. He was sleeping soundly in his black garments, facing the wall. She rushed over and yanked off the blankets. Vincent opened his eyes, turned over and glared at Tifa. But before he could say a word, Tifa had him in a hugging death-grip. "You're okay! Oh, I'm so happy!" she divulged. Vincent's scarlet eyes were wide with surprise as he struggled vainly to get free.
Cloud walked in the room, a look of utter confusion on his face. "Tifa? I don't think Vincent can breathe. You better let him go," he said. Indeed, Vincent was struggling to breathe through Tifa's crushing grip. Tifa instantly released him. She cried, "Oh I'm so sorry, Vincent! I don't know what came over me! It's just that..."
Vincent cleared his throat and pulled on his cloak. "Tifa, I understand. Just... warn me before you do that again."
Cloud laughed at Vincent's remark and helped Tifa up. The two strode out of the room, followed by the sauntering Vincent Valentine. A crack of lightning flashed in the window as Vincent turned to close the door. He narrowed his eyes at the sky, blinked, and shook it off. "I was sure," he muttered, closing the door to follow Tifa and Cloud, "that I saw a pair of eyes. Green, I think..."
-fin
a/n: Okay, so maybe it's not happy-go-lucky... Note that this is NOT a Cloud/Tifa or Vincent/Tifa. But I hope you enjoyed it! I wrote it in record time! Five pages in two hours... Ugh. Reviews are welcome, sits in chair with Death Penalty VERY welcome...
a/n '04: Writing style aside, this one actually ain't so bad. Er... And Vincent's relatively in character YAY :D yeah, still suckage.