Author's Note:
This story is written, based from the movie Advent Children and the game Final Fantasy VII including Final Fantasy VII - Crisis Core as under the rightful ownership of the company, Square Enix. I do not own any of the characters created by Square Enix. My own OCs have been added to represent a different version that is entitled to my fiction. I hope you enjoy my work. I am open to all suggestions, reviews, etc. Please do not hesitate to be critical with my writing!
Comments are greatly appreciated!
Background Info:
This fiction is written after the events of Advent Children. Themes revisit Final Fantasy VII and FFVII - Crisis Core, "with my own twist".
General Summary:
Four years have passed since the defeat of Sephiroth and the downfall of Shinra. Tifa finds herself living a happy life with her blonde comrade and friends; until a strikingly familiar face collapses, half dead, in front of 7th Heaven, bringing back memories, true enemies and darker secrets about the Shinra Electric Company that even the original President Shinra didn't know about.
Chapter 1
The sun was peaking in through the brown curtains as the red dials on the digital clock showed 2:06 pm. Tifa rolled over lazily and closed her eyes again. There was still the faint smell of beer soaked in the bed sheets from last night's...wild appointment. She took the pillow next to her and breathed into it, engulfing the leftover scent of Cloud's hair after his shower the night before. Tifa had never seen Cloud act like he did yesterday. It was unlike him, but she liked it. The space next to her on the bed was now empty. The blonde man must have had woken up earlier and left for work. She lifted the thin sheets still wrapped around her body.
"Naked. Just like how we left it," she smiled.
It wasn't a special occasion. But after Marlene and Denzel had gone to bed, Cloud pulled out two beers from the fridge, and that's when it started. What happened wasn't the first time either, but Tifa had never seen Cloud act like he did when he did it yesterday. And his voice had never satisfied her like that, and the way he touched her... Tifa felt a bruise on her waist. Cloud had been a bit rough last night.
Tifa gave a slight giggle and moaned. "Oh, Cloud...Cloud..." she rolled over and over in the large bed until she lost balance and fell to the floor, dragging the blankets and the clock with her. The clock glowed 2:10 pm.
"Shit."
She took everything with her and rushed to the bathroom; bed sheets, bra, underwear, clothes and boots and everything else still on the floor. No time to shower.
"Dammit Cloud, why did you turn off the alarm?" she half-smiled.
...
"Hi Tifa!"
Tifa stopped halfway down the stairs. Denzel and Marlene were together at the bar counter washing dishes.
"We didn't want to wake you up so we opened and watched the bar for you," Marlene continued.
"Yeah. We knew that you were probably a little tired from last night," Denzel added with a wink.
Tifa couldn't help blushing. She put her hands to her cheeks and felt the heat radiating from her embarrassment. Slowly, she proceeded down the stairs again, her feet stepping timidly on the wooden planks.
"You guys were kinda loud yesterday. You must have been having a lot of fun," Marlene giggled.
"Yeah. We thought you guys were having some sort of fight so Marlene made me go check on you but well...nevermind." Denzel explained, then he walked over to where Tifa was and whispered. "I had to tell Marlene that you guys were having a heck of a pillow fight. She wanted to join you but I told her that sometimes, adults like to have their own adult pillow fights. You know, the kind that's extra physical and involves some..." he thrust his hips.
"Ok...no." Tifa grabbed the dish rag from Denzel's hands and playfully slapped his head.
"Oh, and no worries. You didn't miss much business, it was a slow day. A little boring, if you ask me," Marlene laughed.
Denzel played with his hair. "We're taking a break now, though."
Tifa smirked. A 'slow day' usually meant a busy day. That was usually Marlene's interpretation of a 'slow day'. Still, she couldn't deny the fact that there was nobody in the bar at the moment, although the sink was piled high with dishes.
"Ok you two, you've worked hard, go play, I'll clean up the rest of the dishes," Tifa replied. "Letting two kids do all the work while I sleep, what a load of bull..."
The kids bounded back upstairs. Tifa went to the door and turned over the sign back to [Open], ready for more business. Tifa switched on the radio then returned to the dishes. The water was unusually cold even though the tap had been turned to the highest temperature. She had not taken a shower this morning so that could not have been the reason. The radio crackled in response, loading in the faint voice of a radio host under the static.
"That's odd.." Tifa thought.
Normally, the radio would have been in perfect pitch alignment. There wouldn't have been any interference. Opening the fridge, she felt the inside shelves, everything was room temperature. Meat and milk would have been spoiled. Tifa wiped her hands on the towel and walked to the electrical settings.
Everything was plugged in. Not a single problem could be detected.
Unexpectedly, the radio boomed, the host's words became clear and steady.
"An announcement sent out an hour ago from the Shinra Electric Power Company states that Midgar's power and broadcasting frequencies will be under repair. The company is experiencing problems with a power source in the facility last night. A resource has been broken and is under current investigation. The Shinra Electric Power Company would like to offer an apology for the inconvenience and promises the restoration of their services as soon as possible. Thank you for trusting the Shinra Electric Power Company, we are always at your service. For more questions of our company or inquiry about this incident please reach us at 1-800-35..."
The radio blanked out again, nothing but static. Tifa turned off the radio.
After the Lifestream protected the planet from the meteor a few years ago, Shinra's company could no longer use it as a source of energy. The company itself had been ridiculed for quite some time, but determined to keep it's legacy going, they turned to new methods that satisfied the citizens. Although the recent system of energy production was not clearly defined, most accepted it as a new technological advancement that would no longer be harmful and tyrannical, and the company quickly regained its former prime.
Tifa didn't know, didn't care, as long as they weren't using Mako so blatantly as before.
Cloud had reinstated a position with the Shinra SOLDIER military group. Appointed as one of the main leaders in his battalion, he became responsible for the training and management of his force. His personality often gave him away though. Although he hated Shinra, he missed his friend, even after all the years since his death. Working with Shinra again was his way of remembering the hero he had once known. That, and the handsome paycheck he got at the end of every month.
"Cold," Tifa shivered and turned off the water tap. The bar was quiet without the hums of energy left in the room.
Grabbing the broom, Tifa began to sweep the floor. She swept around the counter bumping into the bar stools and tables. As she turned around the corner she looked into the pictures that hung on the side wall. An old picture of Cloud and Tifa, another of the kids, a full frame of all their friends, their faces spread in the happiest smiles. Tifa looked deeply into the photos, absorbing all the adventures they had, once upon a time.
Sephiroth, defeated.
Memories, restored.
Everything, normal?
Yes. Tifa nodded to herself, "7th Heaven," she quoted the name of the bar which became Cloud's, the kids' and her home, "It really is a heaven here."
...
There was a sudden bang at the door. Tifa snapped out of her daze.
"The door's open. Come in." she rang out cheerfully, putting the broom away and quickly clearing out the washed dishes, expecting the customer to enter the bar.
However, there was not another sound outside. Whoever was at the door did not come in. Tifa arched her eyebrows and slowly walked to the door, feeling for the leather gloves she kept in her back pocket, always prepared for combat.
"Hello?" she called out quietly and slipped on the gloves tightly, fitting them around her wrists.
When there was no answer, she lightly tapped the door open with her foot. The streets were mostly empty, but the steps that led to the bar was not.
A man was lying face down on the stone stairs. One hand was slightly reached upward as if attempting to knock on the door. His hair was a mess and his attire resembled a uniform of SOLDIER. The colour of his shirt was immediately recognized as a high rank from the Shinra military. Without a doubt, the man was mostly likely a first class. The upper parts of his arms were covered with both fresh and dried blood. Cuts and bruises were everywhere and one of the wrists had been apparently sprained. There was a large, deep gash across his back. Thick blood oozed from the wound and soaked his clothes.
"Oh my .." Tifa breathed. She tucked her fingers under his chin, trying to feel for a pulse. There was only a vague beat, and even so, she could already feel wet blood trickling on her own hand. She flipped him over, keeping his head tilted on the side, securing his broad shoulders in place, fearing his weak state would drag him down the rest of the stairs. The front of his body revealed even more injuries: a deep cut on the side of his neck, a stab to his stomach, and a gun shot wound around his ankle.
Tifa turned and lifted his head from the side. The sight of his face made her nearly drop him.
He looked just like Zack.
