Hello. It has been years since I've last updated... But this time I should keep with it. Updates may come slowly, as I am now in college! I started this account when I was in middle school. This is terrifying and astounding in many forms. Please be patient if you enjoy this story - follow or favorite it for more accurate updates! I try to keep my chapters long on every update so as to give a little more lenience on my half.
I think Final Fantasy 7 was the first real fandom I fell into headfirst... and apparently I've never looked back.
Please enjoy chapter 1 of Safe & Sound!
Running. Muscles ache, feet red with blisters, clothes torn and black from the dirt, pavement, the smog that littered this city. This once great city. Built as a majestic leap forward in technology, resulting in the world's near crumbling death. Breath. One, two - inhale, exhale. Rapid, hyperventilation speed - excess oxygen to the brain eventually moves to the muscles. It's been an hour, and they have not let up. They are usually not this persistent - unless they have narrowed the numbers. It is rare, but it will happen. I have to flee the city - even in the wild, open plains where life is just now beginning to reappear and flourish I have more of an advantage than in this wasteland of a kingdom, built by a pseudo-saint.
Left, right, down the alley, up the main highway, am I on the upper plate? I must be, the sky looks a little brighter - the air only a little cleaner. My lungs feel as if they are both alight with fire and weighed down by the thick coating of smog and rust in the air. My breathing technique has failed me for now but I have to keep going - I must keep going. Nothing will ever catch me - I am like the wind. I am wild, I am unattainable, I am ageless, I am free.
For once, I was not.
Nothing ever seemed to change anymore, ever since the calamity of Meteor was stopped.
By myself - and the others, yes, of course, but still... one cannot simply forget what has happened since then, and the life of adventure. And being slightly wanted - and not in the usually good way. The socially acceptable way - let's put it at that. But still, the bar was thriving and I was making good money for looking after two children by myself. Virtually by myself, I constantly remind everyone, because Cloud's mail still came here - so he was still, technically, part of this establishment. Most of it (the mail, not his part around here - that, was virtually nonexistent) was piled up on his desk and consisted simply of requests for packages to be delivered, or for beasts to be slain, or small children to be found. Those last ones always bothered Denzel...
"But... we're family, and he's going off solving other peoples' problems while you're sitting here struggling and suffering because of him!"
Awkwardly full of both rage and reckless abandon at such a young age, and nowhere to direct it at but Cloud. He reminds me of Cloud, when we were young and still so close. I'd like to think that Denzel and Marlene would grow up to be good friends and stay that way for life, and not end up as I did with Cloud - lost, a little awkward, and in a situation that at least fifty percent of the party wants out of. It's only been a short two years since Meteor, but AVALANCHE seems to be but a distant memory. Cid and Shera have been rebuilding their lives together in Corel, but other than that... I hadn't heard much. Reeve has been up to some top-secret-project that he refuses to tell any of us about any more - but he assures me whenever he drops Cait Sith by that I will "absolutely love it". Red XIII... Nanaki... he's supposedly out travelling the world, but without much means of communication no one can really get a hold of him. He drops by from time to time, mainly if he's on the continent. Yuffie has been training in Wutai to assume a diplomatic position - one she calls and complains about often. Barret is in a lot - he has to see his little girl, of course, and always makes sure the bar is doing well. If the oil business ever does him wrong, Barret needs to become my personal advertiser - the bar is always packed after he gets here. Word of mouth works well when no one can hear over you.
So, yes, while everything has changed - it also feels like nothing has changed. As if AVALANCHE was never founded, and that these bonds we grew never happened. The daily grind of making ends meet, no fame and guts and glory any more, and that hollow feeling when you know you're unsatisfied just comes creeping back.
The knock on my door came as a surprise - I had been polishing glasses mindlessly for hours it seemed - and a welcome one at that, for instead of Cait Sith standing at the door with Marlene and Denzel, it was Reeve himself.
"Well, hello there, Miss Lockhart. The years have treated you well indeed," he greeted me first. Marlene instantly ran from his side to my own, and Denzel watched the unfamiliar face with keen eyes.
"I could say the same for you, Reeve. No fancy costume this time? I expected more from you," I said back, smiling for the first time today. It was shallow and half meant, but still.
Taking a seat on the stool in front of me, Reeve checked his watch,
"Yes, uh, I should think we will have plenty of time to discuss this before opening, yes?" Head cocked to the side, the look begging for agreement. It must be serious for Reeve to venture out of his hidey-hole as Barret called it.
I agreed, telling the children to run upstairs and get started on their homework. They attended private classes from a friend of Reeve's, someone he trusted to give Marlene and Denzel and safe yet real education. The school systems here in Edge had only been built up to an elementary level, and Marlene was just about out of the age range for that, so Barret and I just put both of them in the private class.
Once the children were out of sight, I sighed and slumped in a stool I had behind the counter, and without gusto I attempted to slam my glass down on the table.
"What's up, Reeve? You're never out in person," I asked - it was earnest but tired.
"I need your help, Tifa," his voice had dropped all lightheartedness, "there is a problem arising, and I'm not entirely sure how to stop it. I'm not even sure if we can."
"And?"
"... my organization, the WRO... the World Regeneration Organization... that's what we do, Tifa. We help the world regenerate - ShinRa's mako energy was destroying the Lifestream and in turn the Planet. But we can't take on a whole army - we aren't to that level yet. My soldiers are still new. We would be slaughtered in an instant. There are -"
"So you want me to do... what, Reeve. I can't take an army by myself," I furrowed my brows at the aging man.
"You wouldn't have to - at least not by yourself. And I'm not talking about and army - at least not yet. It is however, a problematic group of... bandits, I guess you could call them. They have been looting around the ruins of Midgar and subsequently those of the ShinRa Power Company."
I shifted in my stool, fingering the glass I had next to me, "Would you like a drink, Reeve?"
"Hmm? No, thank you."
I poured myself one, with a raised eyebrow from Reeve Tuesti.
"Now, Tifa, you know as well as I do that the ShinRa Corporation did horrible things to people in its day. Things that none who survived its collapse should ever be proud of - including me."
I wondered, briefly, what he was getting at. Experiments? We all knew about those - some of us better than others.
"Are you suggesting that these bandits are super powered, Reeve?" I smiled a little at my stupid joke.
"Haa... fortunately they seem to be of average human power, Miss Lockhart. But it is concerning. The city of Midgar has been quarantened due to the mako released, and I fear that these... bandits... are looking for something to salvage. The WRO hasn't been able to get into the city since Meteorfall. Whatever they are looking for, Tifa, it could be deadly," he finished, leaning back and resting his hands on the bar instead of their previous position of holding up his face.
Even though these two years have seemed both very short and strenuously long, the years have multiplied in Reeve. As the head of this massive organization, he is responsible for more than anyone could ever imagine. Or at least that's what I'm willing to bet, at least. No one really knows anything of what Reeve has been up to, or his brand new, shiny organization. The outcome though suggests stress, and lots of coffee. The man sat before was so very different from the man I had met years ago - mostly in a good way. And while the WRO headquarters resided in Junon, he always managed to the visit here in Edge whenever possible - especially in the form of a little cat robot.
"So," I started, rolling the scotch in the glass like it meant something, "You want me to get rid of them? Pretty bold, Reeve, asking only a girl to go."
"Oh, Miss Lockhart, you under estimate me. I've already called the others."
My turn to raise the eyebrow, "You've managed to get a hold of everyone?"
My heart lifted, if Reeve had gotten a hold of Cloud, then there was still a chance I could convince him to come back home.
Reeve let out a small laugh. "Yes, of course. Well, except for Cloud and Vincent," boom, down to the bottom of the glass, "Vincent seems to have fallen off of the face of the Planet, while Cloud just never answered. His voicemail was also full - where has he been, Tifa? I assumed I would find him here."
I didn't care to answer, and thank the Planet I didn't have to - just yet - because I saw little Marlene bounding down the stairs.
"Tifa! Denzel doesn't feel well! I think he is sick," she cried, big brown eyes looking between Reeve and myself, little hands tugging on my duster that nearly hit the floor. After her outburst, she immediately clammed up, taking a step back with shy hands behind her back.
"I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt. But, he's really, really sick and I... I don't know what to do!"
Without a moment's hesitation, I stood from my position and nodded to Reeve, a smile gracing my face, and walked up the stairs to the young boy's room.
The Wastelands were desolate to say the least. I mean, I guess that's why they're called the Wastelands. A few leafless shrubs dotted the dry and cracked ground, dust filled my lungs and I continued my long-strided, loping jog. I could no longer keep up the full-throttle sprint I was going at back in the city, but that was okay. I seemed to have lost them. Now I simply wanted distance.
I would miss my little shack I made there, in the upper part of some abandoned building. A little bit of life had begun to grow on the ground floor, the only real source of light for a hot minute gathering in that spot ensured its growth. When I spotted the first little tufts of grass, I went to a nearby water source with a bowl to give it a little pond - back and forth and back and forth until a reasonable amount of water had accumulated. Of course, that was months ago. Now, the grass had turned into some wildflowers and let off a lovely smell to any who may happen by my little fortress of solitude. They also probably wouldn't be around long.
But none of that really, truly mattered anymore. I had been found, I had been hunted, I had been chased. Now I flee, and I will seek shelter elsewhere - one that will be more permanent. Hopefully.
But even that does not matter at the current. That comes when distance has been put between myself and my pursuers, no matter what their mission. Even if they simply wanted the gil I kept buried under the shock blankets I slept on, even if they simply wanted to get me to a safe place to stay instead of the mako-infested city - they definitely could have gone about it in a different way. However, I knew better. They were after something - they believed I had it. It was the only definitive answer, the only thing that made sense.
Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be bleeding right now...
I came into the small little town at a languid limp at best – and it was so quaint. With wooden rooftops, bland painting, cobbled roads. Ah, yes. The good old town of Kalm. A fitting name, nothing ever seemed really happened here. Normally, I would never rest easy in a place as small as Kalm, but I had travelled a great distance - the sun had already set and the air was gaining a bit of a chill. One could hear the howls of beasts in the distance. Nighttime was not a place to wander about outside the city grounds, at least not now.
When the ShinRa Power Company was at its highest point, the damage done to the Planet had both positive and negative effects. The positive, monster were few and far between, often only wanting to come out at night, and when they did venture during the day it was far away from civilization. The negative was that, not only did the damage virtually eradicate the potential for organic fruits and vegetable, but it also killed off the livestock and most friendly creatures in the immediate vicinity of Midgar.
As I walked, a little less on edge through the crowded streets of Kalm, I noticed the townspeople bustling and moving about to put up banners, signs, and the like. They had already decorated the street lamps with vibrant red and gold and steely grey ribbons. I stood infront of a large house-turned-inn, where a moderately sized billpost was stapled into the exposed wooden structure of the house.
"Celebrate the wonderful miracle of Meteorfall!"
It read. I smiled at the thought of the ordinary townsfolk thinking the calamity as a miracle. And I kind of guess it was, for them. The Planet didn't get destroyed, after all. The flyer went on to tell that the festivities actually started tomorrow, and that food stalls would be up and music would be blaring and all that funky kind of jazz they did these days.
Perfect. I could hide amongst the festivities. No one would manage to make any progress in a search during a time like this! I could rest… even if it were just for the night, even if it were during a fireworks display. I could regain my energy, and then I would be on the move once more.
There was a stack of letters sitting on the little table in my room. The owner's room. The owner's guest room. There was a sense of "you don't touch this, I don't charge a large sum of gil at the end of your extended stay". Not that the homely owner of this two story, quaint little house was an old hag – I had actually known her when she was a young girl just starting school. But she doesn't need to know that. She didn't have to let me stay here, open-ended, with little to no indication of when I would be out of her hair. Sophia, that was her name. Sophia Enders. That was before she married, though the husband passed when Midgar fell. She only asked that I help with groceries, and that I not damage anything in the house.
Easy enough. For the most part.
But the letters came in floods, and all - and I mean every last one, down to the post card that I refused to turn over - were from one and one person only.
Reeve Tuesti.
I knew because a talking cat with a funny accent delivered all of them. And I cared not what the WRO was doing at the present. I cared not for what any of my former comrades were up to at the present. I cared not for much of anything at the present. It was depressing, yes, but true. I couldn't find it in me to drag myself out to the Cave where Lucrecia lay dormant, in a state of forever-slumber, and attempt repentance. Sure, for the first year or so this was a regular thing. So was meeting up, every so often. Usually for the holidays – sometimes a birthday. Then I got word by Yuffie that Cloud had suddenly disappeared, and without our figurehead, AVALANCHE fell dormant. I visited Tifa once, just to make sure she was alright. The child that Barret had adopted was taking up residence there while Barret was out scrounging the world for fuel, but was not there for the meetup.
Probably for the best. I wasn't too easy on the eyes back then.
Tifa had seemed dejected, more than a little hurt. We drank a full bottle of wine during the lunch we shared – burgers, fresh from the kitchen.
It was enjoyable.
I would suppose that this is when my real lack of enthusiasm started, for shortly after that, the letters began to arrive from Reeve. One every week or so. The post card was delivered by actual post, presumably from Costa del Sol while Reeve was on vacation.
The breeze whipped my hair a bit, the window stayed open to accommodate the lack of air conditioning in the house. A crumpled flyer fell into my lap, and I looked out to make sure that no one was throwing things simply to be throwing things. Down below, the people bustled in preparation for the second big celebration of our "salvation" from Meteorfall.
If they knew that a rag tag group of humans, beasts, and mechanical beings were the ones who prevented the great Calamity that befell our Planet two years ago, they would most likely be singing a different tune. We might also be in jail. Or executed. Or exalted, who knows, the world dances to a different beat these days.
A young lady stood still at the house-turned-inn that AVALANCHE and I resided in so long ago. A larger than necessary bill post was up, and she was reading it while leaning languidly on a lamp post. I simply watched, noting her clothes were simpler than that of the current trends, and also not in agreement with the sweltering weather. She suddenly turned from the posting and walked down the street, one leg not reaching quite as far as the other. I noted the trail of red leaving her.
Someone's been into something.
It wasn't in my nature to inquire about things that were no longer directly related to me. Not any more, at least. The last time I did that I died.
So I decided to leave her be. If it were a bigger deal, it'd be a lot more noticable. Instead, I turned to my small pile of letters Sophia brought up to me, a new addition adding on every so often thanks to Cait Sith and Reeve, and grabbed a small pocket knife.
I had a lot of catching up to do.
Alright. Hopefully this was ok. Please rate, please review, please do all that good stuff. Again - chapters will come out slowly as I am now in college and the majority of my grades are papers! I really have to focus on those first, as much as I love this idea that's coming to me! I'm even putting off an essay about video games and religion to upload this while I wait for the sushi bar to open. (I sound like such a weaboo but I swear to God I'm not... I just like... I like a lot of food.)
Thank you so much!
S.
