Second Chances
by Ky
Summary: (Post DoC) At Seventh Heaven, Shelke and Tifa discuss the implications of the past.
Genre: General
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, any of its characters, or any of its sequels. The Barret quote is from the extra stories that come along with the Advent Children boxed set.
Notes: I wrote this on the last day of school while listening to history presentations.
My Tifa characterization is iffy, and I'm sorry about that. I'm not used to writing her talking to anyone but Cloud.
I also discovered while reading this out loud to my sister, that I can do a Shelke voice that's convincing enough as to freak out my sister.
Shelke closed her eyes as she pushed down on the plunger of the syringe, allowing the hypodermic needle to deliver life-giving mako to her bloodstream.
"My neural network tells me that you are the remnants of AVALANCHE," she commented without looking up.
Tifa was caught off guard. The girl had shown no sign of hearing her enter the room. She sighed. "This whole world has changed. What we did in the past… We're still paying for it. But—"
"Why?" Shelke interrupted. "AVALANCHE's prime directive was to halt the use of the Planet's energy in order to extend its life. My modified body requires mako in order to survive. My existence accelerates the death of your planet, yet you and your allies have provided me with food, shelter, and even mako energy. You've gone out of your way to ensure my health and comfort. Why?"
Tifa sat down across from Shelke. "We all have to take something from the Planet in order to survive. Food. Water. Sometimes even the Planet's life force. But if we only take what we need, then it's all right. And for everything we take, we should try to give something back." Barret's words echoed in her mind. "Don't just take. Prove you know how to give."
"Give something back," the former Deepground soldier repeated.
"Well, we all need second chances, right?" And when Shelke met Tifa's eyes, she realized Tifa was speaking not only of Shelke's, but of her own second chance.
