On A SOLDIER's Honor
By: A'den Neytrir Kad
Author's Note
Don't ask where this came from. I guess it's from the fact my friend and I were going to do cosplay pictures of Zack and Tifa the next day... Either way, enjoy!
Tifa Lockhart sits at her bar silently, playing with an empty glass before her. She sighs, resting her head against the cool surface. 'I wonder what would've happened if he were still alive...'
"Cheer up, Tif!" Zack yells, his sword hung over his shoulder casually as they hike through the mountain trails. "We'll be out of your hair soon enough."
"But, I'll never see you again."
"Not true. I'll write you all the time. Trust me, Tifa. I could never forget you."
"You promise?"
"Yep. On a SOLDIER's Honor."
She had waited. And waited. The leters never came. She forced herself to believe that he was just simply too busy. Too busy for her. "I guess he really did forget."
"Tifa... Zack's dead."
"But... how?"
"He died protecting his honor."
She cried that night after Cloud had told her what he remembered. And the night after that. And the night after that. She didn't want to believe him. He didn't know what he was talking about. Zack was alive. He had to be.
'I guess we'll never really know.' She swings the chair about, standing up swiftly. A gentle pressure appeared on her shoulder, sending a tingling feeling through her. She spins around, lashing her fist out into the air. She blinks multiple times as she pulls her arm back.
"Got to hand it to you, you almost had me there."
She freezes, looking around the empty bar cautiously.
"You need to cheer up, Tif. You're depressing me of all people. Let me go."
"Will you be waiting for me?"
"On a SOLDIER's honor."
Tifa falls to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "Zack..."
"Tifa? What's wrong?" Marlene asks quietly, peeking around the bar.
"Nothing, sweetie. Go back to bed." She rises, watching the young girl dart back up the stairs. She smiles softly, wiping her tears away. "I'll be seeing you around then, Fly Guy."