Rift, v. infinity

Disclaimer: The locations and characters are not my doing and I cannot claim them (they belong to Squaresoft). However, this story is my own version and continuation of the wonderful world of Final Fantasy VII.

Author's Note: Oh little Rift, when I found you again you were dangling at the end of page 122 in the Final Fantasy VII section, story number 3049. No matter what happens or how many years pass, you will always be first in my heart. ;)

This is version: infinity of my dream of many years. Cloud and Tifa forever. -P


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Chapter 1

End of the Old life

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Standing alone on the deck of The Highwind, Tifa leaned over the railing to stare at the landscape below. She didn't have time to distinguish any landmarks before they flashed past her– splashes of green forest, red canyon, and the myriad dots of color from the cities– all finally melding into one long stretch of blue ocean.

Tifa was looking at all of this, but she wasn't seeing any of it. She was staring blankly into the air with a very un-Tifa Lockheart expression on her face, which meant that it was seemingly emotionless. The lines of her small mouth were completely void of her usual cheerful smile.

In her eyes, however, was turbulence. She had to make a decision now, there was no more putting it off, no more making up distractions so that she wouldn't have to deal with it.

This is too stressful, she thought to herself, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back against the wind. I don't have to decide right now, I still have a little bit more time...

Time seemed to be her only constant, now that the war had just ended. All of her friends had gone back to their homes, and she had to decide what she had to do with the rest of her life. She smiled a little, recalling her last conversation with Barret that had happened just over an hour ago.

"You gonna be okay, Tifa?"Barret had asked her as she prepared to board the Highwind. She had just finished saying goodbye to him and Marlene in Kalm.

"Yeah," she answered and summoned the brightest smile she could manage before facing him. "It's going to be fun! This isn't the first time I've had to start my life over from scratch."

"Sure..." he said, scratching the rough stubble of a beard on his face and looking at her skeptically. "But you better promise me that you'll come an' visit sometimes, or at least write an' lemme know what you're up to– and don't let that spiky-headed punk talk you into another dumb-ass adventure of his..."

Tifa forced a short laugh to cut him off before he could hint again at talking to Cloud.

"Don't worry so much, Barret," she smiled. "You'll need that energy to learn how to live the settled life from now on."

"Hmph," Barret snorted. "Me an' 'settled' don't belong in the same sentence. It's Marlene I'm thinkin' of." He cast a protective glance over his shoulder to see his daughter chatting animatedly with another little girl who lived in town.

He turned back to face Tifa and looked as though he were going to say more, but he was interrupted by Cid yelling from the ship deck for Tifa ("Hurry your damn slow ass up, or I'm leavin' ya behind!" ).

Tifa had to shout her goodbyes to both Marlene and Barret over the roaring of the engines as she ascended the rope ladder leading to the deck. As the ship began to rise into the air, Barret yelled up to her from the ground–

"Tifa! Jus' talk to him!"

Just talk to him, she mused now as the wind played with her long, chocolate-colored hair. Of course it's so easy to say, but perhaps it's too late now? He's still grieving... A tiny frown settled upon her face and she noticed that she was shivering. She wrapped her arms around herself and was still thinking when a perky voice from behind startled her.

"Whaddaya doin' up here, Teef?" it chirped.

Tifa turned around to see a young girl of sixteen with short, dark hair and a very wide smile that gave you the sudden impulse to hold on to your wallet.

"Hi, Yuffie..." Tifa said slowly. What's she so happy about? Tifa wondered. She's usually moaning and complaining in the hallway. Maybe she took a Hyper instead of her usual Tranquilizer... She voiced her concern.

"Oh, no. I'm just really happy." Yuffie replied giddily. "I mean, I'm finally getting off this Leviathan-forsaken ship for good, and..." she trailed off mysteriously and held up a drawstring bag. "Cloud gave me some of his materia!" She shouted gleefully. "I mean, he actually gave it to me! I didn't even have to force a contract!"

Yuffie looked very pleased with herself as she stashed the magic orbs back into her shorts. Tifa raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, suspecting that Cloud had given Yuffie the "just born" materia without any levels, which wasn't a loss to someone with Mastered materia.

"You know what?" Yuffie began, unwrapping a large chunk of pink bubble gum and mashing it into her mouth. Tifa just stared out into the sky, very used to blocking out Yuffie-rants.

"I'm feeling generous today," Yuffie continued, looking sideways at Tifa, as if seeing her in a whole new light.

"I'll tell you something good," she went on. "You remember that guy who owned the Turtle Paradise back in Wutai?" She didn't pause for an answer. "Well, he told me that he's selling the bar, so I told him that 'Hey, my friend used to own a bar, before those Shinra bastards blew it up,' and he was all for like, selling you his bar cheap just because he said it was so unfair what the stupid Shinra did, and that you bartenders need to stick together and stuff."

Tifa snorted slightly at the "bartenders sticking together" line, as if there had been some secret society. Tifa also knew that the real reason why he wanted to get rid of the place was because the Wutaian economy situation had been taking a crash course toward bankruptcy ever since the Wutai/Shinra war, and everyone was suffering under the Mako monopoly that Shinra holding over business owners.

Had been suffering, Tifa corrected herself. Shinra had fallen from grace, liberating the people and the Planet from Mako bondage.

Business should be picking up again soon, she thought, since people don't have all those Mako taxes to pay anymore. Might be a good investment. And yet... She paused to replay her original desire to return to Nibelheim with Cloud over in her head.

I have to talk to him. She decided. Now.

"I'm sorry, Yuffie, but I need some time to think about it," she finally said.

"Oh, well," said Yuffie, not sounding upset in the least. Tifa had to admire the girl's articulation as she had a huge wad of pink bubble gum sticking halfway out of her mouth.

"After we drop Cloud off, we'll be headed there, so lemme know." Yuffie finished her sentence with a loud snapping noise from an exploded bubble before she turned around and bounced back inside the door to the interior of the ship.

Tifa, meanwhile, was stunned in place.

"Drop...Cloud off?" Tifa murmured with an expression of shock on her face. "Where? Where is he going?"

She prepared to open the door herself when it opened for her.

"Hey there, coming in?" said a friendly, so very familiar voice. Tifa gazed up into its owner's bright, sapphire eyes that glowed a faint green due to their contact with Mako. Cloud smiled down at her with a curious look on his face.

"No, not now," she finally replied. "I was just looking for you," she said, her eyes still mercilessly locked onto his.

"Oh, me too." Cloud replied quickly. "Looking for you, I mean."

He looked away as he stepped onto the deck and pulled the door shut behind him. He proceeded to walk to the edge of the deck and took hold of the rail. Tifa decided to speak first.

"So..." she started with what she hoped was an up-beat tone. "Where are we headed?" She walked slowly up behind him and waited an eternity for his reply.

"...Gonaga," he answered with a hint of sadness lingering in his voice. He turned to face her. She felt her heart skip a little and self-consciously lifted her hand to tuck a few strands of her long, dark hair behind her ear. She noticed small lines appear on his forehead that she recognized as his "determined" facial expression that he wore when he was about to announce the course of action for a new mission.

"I've decided to go to Gonaga," he repeated. Tifa could only stare at him. Why that ruin? What could possibly be there? she wondered. Cloud saw her arched brow and continued.

"Zack's parents still live there. I feel that it's my duty to tell them the truth..."

"And after that?" Tifa asked earnestly.

"Then, I have one more thing to reconcile with..." He trailed off again, and shifted his eyes to the floor. The wind ruffled his spiked, blonde hair.

"You mean Aeris," Tifa said quietly. Cloud looked up suddenly, but her eyes would not meet his, so he turned around again.

"Yes. After Gonaga, I'm taking my Gold Chocobo and riding it to the Crater, the Promised Land. I have to talk to her. I need her forgiveness for failing her...after I promised that I would protect her, and got her involved-"

"But Cloud, she's dead!" Tifa shouted suddenly. She turned around quickly to hide the tears brimming in her maroon colored eyes as he turned a startled face toward her.

"She can't forgive anyone now!" Tifa continued, desperately struggling to not lose control. "Her spirit must have returned to the planet already."

"Tifa!" Cloud said in a slightly astonished voice. "I can't live my life with the guilt that I let someone die because they trusted that I would protect them! This is the only way!" Tifa was silent, and reached up to wipe tears from her cheek.

"Tifa, look at me..." Cloud pleaded softly and took a step toward her. She responded by taking a step toward the door. The ship was nearing the outskirts of Gonaga. The green circle of forest surrounding the charred ruin was coming into view.

"It's okay," she said, and taking a deep breath, "Don't let me hold you back. Do what you have to do." She felt tears slide uncontrollably down her cheek as she quickly retreated to the interior the ship, leaving Cloud behind to stand alone on the deck.