Blossoms in Midgar

Written by Whimsical Symphony

Summary – Tifa Lockhart grows lonely when her best friend leaves Nibelheim, a small town, for the huge metropolis, Midgar, to become a First Class SOLDIER in Shinra. Concluding that she needs to see how he is doing, she leaves the small town as well, to follow him into the company. She knows very well she won't be able to get into the company as a SOLDIER, since females aren't permitted. But, there was always the choice of becoming a Turk, no matter how unfamiliar she was with their dark actions. Tifa vows she will see him, and meet him she does, along with charming poet and First Class SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos, who becomes her pillar of support, and trainer for a time while being a Turk in training. Feelings blossom from Cloud and Genesis toward Tifa, in time, and the winner of the escapade is the one whom Tifa falls in love with. Genesis/Tifa/Cloud

Hello all of you. I was quite excited to write this, definitely. I am already on Chapter 4, and decided that this story was good enough to be posted after some editing. I will be posting chapters every so often, along with working on my other stories. Hope you enjoy, and remember that constructive criticism is greatly appreciated along with regular reviews. I always respond to them in a kind, respectable manner to thank those who have reviewed.

Chapter 1 – Closer to You

Tifa Lockhart lay down on her bed, arms behind her head. She wasn't sure how much time had passed; she never could be sure these days. She would wake up each morning, expecting to walk outside in the small town of Nibelheim, and knock on her dear friend Cloud Strife's door. Almost as if she were possessed, her feet would still take her there sometimes, out of force of habit, and then she would realize suddenly that Cloud was gone. He was gone, and she didn't realize at the time just how much she would miss him. He was quiet, yes, but a good listener, and a good friend. Even though he was an outcast in the town, both him and his mother, Tifa definitely felt she was lucky to have him, although her father, the Mayor, didn't like him much at all.

It had been months since then and time felt as if it had stood still for her. Cloud Strife had left Nibelheim for the metropolis, Midgar, home of Shinra Electric Company. He had left to follow his dreams of becoming a First Class SOLDIER, the top of the elite, to become just like general Sephiroth, the hero of Shinra. He had always said, ever since she had known him, that he wished to be a part of SOLDIER, and then when Sephiroth became a public face, a person almost all were enamoured with or feared, he had boldly declared that someday he would be just like that. At the time of course, she had encouraged him shamelessly, thinking that he wouldn't really follow through with leaving the town. What a truly selfish woman she was. He did though. He had left, and followed his dreams. What about her? Tifa Lockhart had taken martial arts lessons from Master Zangan, and considered herself a tough girl, although she was a mountain tour guide. Even though she'd thought Cloud was crazy at the time, he had followed through with each word, whisper and claim that came out of his mouth. He was free, and she was still imprisoned in a small town as nothing more than a mountain tour guide.

Tifa wanted to see him, and wanted to live a life outside the town…

Almost immediately, she felt as if energy had returned to her. After knowing what she needed to do, and pondering over it for months. After seeing Mrs. Strife trying to be strong, although she missed her son like anything, she knew she had to go see him. Even if her father would refuse her request, she would get there. She had her own money, her own life, and her friend waiting for her.

"I have to go see him, it's decided," she muttered determinedly. She knew that her future was all but nonexistent in Nibelheim. Perhaps she would follow him into Shinra, though not as a SOLDIER, as it was clear women weren't permitted to. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She would find a way to; she would think about it on the way, a method to get her to work alongside Cloud in some way without being ridiculous and disguising herself as a man to get into SOLDIER. A plan like that would never succeed. Shinra technology was advanced, no, not even advanced, but in fact, flawless.

Walking to the corner of her room, she pulled out a small suitcase and packed up some clothes and another pair of fighting gloves given to her by Master Zangan whom she hadn't seen in so long. She let her hand linger on the suitcase for a moment longer, feeling the soft texture beneath her fingertips, the softness and security of home. Closing it would mean that she would be leaving this life behind, for certain. Taking a deep breath, she zipped the suitcase shut. She wouldn't let anything change her mind, not now. Standing up, her hand on the handle of the suitcase, she picked it up and left the safety of her room, feeling as anxious as a baby bird would leaving the nest. She would confront her father as well, and tell him she wished to leave. It was not a request.

"Father," she called from the foyer of the house.

The man, sitting on a chair on the table in the kitchen, acknowledged her. He looked up from his book for a moment. "What is it Tifa?" He then saw what she was carrying, and frowned. "What is that you're carrying?"

"I decided I'm leaving, Father," Tifa told him boldly. "I don't want to live here anymore, just a simple mountain guide for the rare tourists who come."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Lockhart furrowed his eyebrows. "Where will you go Tifa? Don't tell me you want to leave. You've lived in this town all your life and you've never had a problem. You live a good life here. There aren't any problems with money, and you can life carefree here."

"It's not a problem of money, Father." She shook her head. "I want to live my life. I'm going to Midgar, you can't stop me now. I want to experience the world on my own two feet."

"Midgar," he muttered with disdain. "Is this about that Cloud Strife boy? I knew he was a bad influence. Just because he left here, you wish to as well? You'll never be able to survive in Midgar. No one is able to. It's a city riddled with pollution, dust and ash. It's not any suitable place for a lady." He stood up from his seat, actively ready to stop her. "Stay here; I don't want you to see that boy. He and his mother never belonged in this town. Even if you leave here, I can guarantee you'll come crawling back."

"It wasn't only him," she said, fuming. "All the boys from our town left to join Shinra. Don't talk about him that way, or his mother. Cloud never did anything wrong." Her fists trembled, with fury, pain, and with a concoction of emotions she couldn't quite name. "I'm leaving still. I'm going to Midgar; I'll get a job and I'll survive on my own. Cloud… he was never a bad influence. Cloud pursued what he wanted to, and I wish to be the same Father." She turned on her heel, giving him a furious glare. "I will not come crawling back to you, Father. You wait and see." She paused for a moment, looking straight ahead of her, unwilling to look back nor willing to let the tears fall from her eyes. "I'll write." She used the back of her hand to harshly brush the moisture which had begun to escape from the confines of her eyes.

Without hearing his answer, she dashed out the front door. Tifa expected to feel remorse, and to feel terrible, but after hearing that comment about Cloud and his mother, she exploded with fury. Without denying it though, it felt good to tell him that she wasn't happy with him. She felt free, and could actually manage a smile now. Cloud would be surprised to see her, once she could find a way into Shinra and on the Plate.

Tifa made her way next door and rapped on the door. She hoped Mrs Strife would answer, and let her arm hang limply at her side. Perhaps the woman would call her crazy, along the same lines as her father. But then, she shook her head, Mrs Strife was always a kind, understanding individual. Always supporting of others, never once frowning, she'd almost been like a replacement mother ever since her own had died of illness when she was too young to remember. Mrs Strife had always been the one who, when she'd go out to spend some time with Cloud, would give her fresh milk and biscuits with a smile. She'd been the one who'd held Tifa when she'd cried after scraping her knee, or listened when she complained about one of the boys in the neighborhood making fun of her. Tifa would always be grateful to her.

The door was opened by Mrs Strife. Her face looked worn recently, and she looked awfully fatigued. Even her radiant blonde hair had lost its sheen. Tifa had never known the exact reason why they were never really accepted in this town, they were usually avoided. Mrs Strife missed her son to the extremes these days, even though Tifa had heard he'd written to her. In her messages back, the woman never quite let on how serious it was. She would hardly eat these days, or sleep, and she'd lost quite a bit of weight. Dark rings were visible around her eyes, letting one see the extent of her insomnia because of missing Cloud. Tifa had been the one to keep her company each day; it was sad watching such a strong woman fall prey to depression.

She greeted Tifa still with a smile. "Good afternoon Tifa." Mrs Strife spotted the suitcase she was carrying curiously. "Are you planning on going somewhere, Tifa?"

"That's just it, Mrs Strife." Tifa nodded. "I'm planning on going to Midgar and joining Shinra. Not for SOLDIER of course, because females aren't allowed, but if there's some other way. I miss Cloud, Mrs Strife. I want to see him, and I want to live my life the way he did." Tifa smiled painfully then. "And seeing you like this, I can't stand anymore. I want to bring him back to visit soon, Mrs Strife."

"You want to see Cloud that badly, Tifa?" she asked, her small wobbling. "I can't deny I want the same. I could tell by looking at you, that you were a free girl. I can't tell you how to live your life, but I can tell you to be careful right. You're like a daughter to me." Tears started to pour from her eyes, and the woman pulled Tifa into a crushing embrace. "I admit I'm selfish for not wanting to be alone… Please promise me you'll write though? Promise me you'll eat and sleep properly. Take care of yourself, and don't do anything you're not comfortable with."

"Mrs Strife, I promise all those things," Tifa smiled and said, relaxing in her embrace. "I'll come to visit you soon, with Cloud as well. I'll become successful too, in Shinra, and I'll look out for Cloud for you; you always know what a troublemaker he is."

The blonde woman chuckled, releasing Tifa and wiping the tears in her eyes. "Please Tifa, don't be reckless… and don't tell Cloud what a mess I've made of myself?" She smiled sheepishly.

"Of course," Tifa replied. She could only wonder then, how different her relationship was with this woman compared to the relationship she shared with her own father.

It had been Tifa's first time travelling across the sea, and she had a feeling she'd remember it for a long time. It had been on a dingy cargo ship, to save money, but it was nice all the same. The sea breeze brushed against her face, and she sighed. The water was a beautiful cerulean blue, and the land she could see nearby as she was docking was lush green, and beautiful. She was surprised when the ship docked into the town of Junon, however. At first glance it looked so classy, wealth seemed to litter every corner, and it seemed almost as if it was a cleaner Midgar, ignoring the slums completely. That wasn't true though, not at all. When she had walked through to Lower Junon, it reminded her of what she'd heard about the areas beneath the Plate in Midgar, maybe a bit better. The houses were worn down, and pollution was apparent to the extent where she couldn't see the clear colour of the sky she'd seen earlier. She beach on the right side of lower Junon, was unclean. It may have had children and adults alike playing in the water at some point in time, but not anymore. It was deserted now, and it painful to some part of her soul. She didn't know which part. The water was grey, and not in any shape for anyone to be swimming in it. Mako must have been a contributing factor to its repulsive colour as well as the incredibly oblivious city which loomed over their heads.

When she'd taken a coach to the outskirts of Midgar, she realized that every rumour about it might have been true. The lush grass died out as they came closer, and just left dirt in its wake. The soil was probably too poor to have anything growing in it. Midgar was a huge city with metal buildings, and was filled with factories and pollution floated towards the heavens. She was to start her new life here, it seemed.

The coach dropped her off in the slums it seemed, or rather: everything at ground level below the plate was a slum. When she entered, she was astounded. Dilapidated houses, if you could call them that, no more than hunks of metal lay in the middle of a ground without any sort of path. These metal 'houses' were rusted beyond belief. One was a store, she could see, with cheap neon lights that were on the verge of fusing. One old man sat outside his house on a cheap plastic chair, watching the news on an exceptionally old television set. The picture faded every now and then, so the man would rise and hit the top of the box with his cane to make it reappear. People slept outside, she could see. It was… terrible. Some of the people didn't look like they'd be pleasant; Tifa was on her guard, cautious.

Curiously, she examined a patch of light which seemed to be coming from the 'road' to the right. It seemed much brighter than the surrounding area. She zoned out for a minute, and didn't see when a man with a knife came up behind her.

"Give me your money, girly," he said, in a raspy voice, holding the knife up to her throat. "I know a slum dweller when I see one, and you ain't no slum dweller. I can tell you came from some place else, which means you got money."

"So you'd feel you better harass me then, right?" Tifa told him harshly. "What a nice welcome I seem to be receiving after my first five minutes in this place!" She remembered what Master Zangan had told her about never showing fear, and she never would. Even though she was terrified of the cool metal knife that was pressed to her skin, and that it would cut into her and immediately end her life, she wouldn't show him she was scared. She noticed that some of the other slum dwellers seemed to be staring, but didn't bother to help her, probably because she wasn't from here.

"Shut up girly, or I really will kill ya!" The man waved the knife around wildly, and Tifa took a deep gulp. Tifa took a deep breath and caught his wrist. She twisted it back painfully, and managed to get out of his grasp. The man yelped as a result of her actions, and while he was, Tifa saw her chance and gave him a roundhouse kick; the man's back hit the metal wall of the store before he collapsed to the floor. She took a deep breath, and made sure her wallet was still on her, and it was, thankfully.

"I was scared…" she muttered, panting. "That was a close call. Master Zangan, I'll be forever grateful to you, I promise." It was funny she only ever really thanked the man in her prayers when there was a threat on her life. Tifa missed him, definitely.

"Hey, you okay?" a voice called. She snapped out of her thoughts and turned around. Behind her was a handsome man who looked a little older than herself with wild spiky black hair, and a charming smile. She immediately noticed his eyes though; they glowed, most definitely. Tifa thought for a moment and realized they were infused with Mako. He was a part of Shinra, that meant. "That was a nice kick you got there. I was thinking of stepping in, but then you gave the guy a huge kick before I had the chance to do anything!" He grinned.

Tifa soon found that the man's smile was contagious, and sent him a small one in reply. "It's my first time in Midgar, so I should have assumed something like that would've happened. Thank you for keeping a lookout though." She took a look around at her surroundings. "I see most people around here don't particularly care what happens."

"No problem, I wouldn't have liked it if I could have helped, but didn't," he told her seriously. "That and Angeal would have given me a huge lecture on honour, and other things of the like, but this time I would have to listen to the entire thing because I would have agreed with him. It would be bad to just leave you." He nodded. At seeing her look of confusion, he continued. "You're wondering who Angeal is, right? He's my mentor, and he's a real straight-laced one at that." He paused. "You said it's your first time in Midgar, huh? Where're you from?"

Tifa didn't know why he exuded an aura that made her trust him almost immediately. Before she was about to answer though, he beat her to the punch, looking absolutely sheepish. "I'm such an idiot. I must sound like such a creep, asking you for where you're from when you don't even know who I am. I'm not trying to pick you up, don't worry," he said with such seriousness, she had to chuckle. He spotted her laugh, and grinned as well. "You're laughing now, but you haven't been around below the Plate long enough to be aware that girls are seriously worried about that… but I guess you're not in Wal-Market, so it's a little better," he continued. "But anyway, SOLDIER Second-Class, Zack Fair at your service." He gave her a mock salute. "You could probably already tell by the eyes. Eyes infused with Mako energy, a SOLDIER trademark, colour of the sky, right?" He gestured to his own glowing eyes.

"Don't worry, I wasn't worried. You seem like an honest guy," she told him. "I could tell by the eyes, but I'm not really afraid, if that's what you're wondering." Tifa could see he was relieved. A lot of people were afraid of SOLDIER's, and perhaps he was used to being feared. "I'm from Nibelheim, you might not have heard of it. I came here with a hilariously impossible dream that I have to fulfil ASAP."

"Nibelheim, huh?" he pondered on that for a moment. "I have a buddy from there, I know it-"

Before he was able to continue, Tifa cut him off in desperation. "Does that friend of yours have hair like a chocobo, colour and all?"

"Same guy we're talking about here?" Zack wondered in amazement. "His name's Cloud Strife, you know him?"

"Yes, he's the reason I came to Midgar, if I have to be honest. He was my closest friend back home," she told him wondering if Lady Luck favoured her today, because it sure seemed like it, meeting a friend of Cloud's. "I actually planned to join Shinra, in some way to see him, but since females aren't allowed in SOLDIER, I don't know what to do. I don't really care what I do exactly. I'm tough, I can handle fighting."

"I can see you can handle fighting." He took a look at the body that had hit the store, and realized just how true her statement was. He grimaced. "Enter Shinra, huh?" He thought hard about anything he could tell her, his hand on his chin as he was thrown deeper and deeper into a realm that was far away from Gaia. He snapped out of it, and almost as if a light bulb had turned on, he faced her with a grin. "You could always enter the Turks. Females are allowed in there, although you might be a little uncomfortable with the work, and it's pretty hard to get in, like SOLDIER. With the Turks though, they don't have a primary program without a test you can enter, like SOLDIER where you could just be a grunt. It's all or nothing. The Turks are some sneaky guys, and most SOLDIER's aren't fond of them although we work together with them often." He paused. "They do have Elena though, who's completely incapable of keeping secrets, or lying, which is completely opposite of what a Turk should be. They also have Cissnei who's far too nice to be a Turk; you should see Reno, he's an ass, though pretty cool at times."

"What exactly do the Turks do?" Tifa had heard of them, along with nasty rumours that always seemed to follow them.

"No one knows for sure," Zack said, honestly. "But the more known stuff is the fighting alongside SOLDIER on missions, intelligence gathering, and spying. You have to be fairly intelligent, partially why I could never make it in. Not that I wanted to, of course." His tone became gloomy all of a sudden. "They also deal with some darker things like espionage and assassinations or so I'm told."

Tifa was fine with most of it, but shuddered when he said 'assassinations'. But, to see Cloud, she needed to do this. "How can I enter?"

"You'd have to go to the Plate and talk to Tseng in the Shinra building. They'd give you a test; you can't study for it. Then a fighting test, to see if you're qualified," Zack told her. "You can come with me now to the Plate, if you want. I can lead to you Tseng. I'm heading back to the Shinra building anyway, Angeal is waiting for me."

"Thanks Zack," she told him, gratefully.

"No problemo," he replied with a grin. He remembered something. "By the way, you never told me your name."

"Tifa Lockhart," she introduced herself, resisting the urge to grin silly because of her luck. "It's nice to meet you, Zack Fair."

Word Count: 3 730 (without A/N or summary)