Tifa tossed and turned on the musty mattress. Really, she grumbled to
herself, just because Cait Sith got these rooms for free didn't mean they
had to be this uncomfortable. On top of that, she simply wasn't tired. With
an impatient sigh, she flipped out of bed, and wandered over to the window.
Rain lashed against the panes; lightning bolts brightened up the dark
night. The gaudy lights and flamboyant architecture of the park were just
this side of tacky, and looked very sad and forsaken against the violent
night sky.
The lightning flashed again. For a brief moment, the entire park was flooded with light--just enough light for Tifa to see two familiar figures running through the graveyard in front of the hotel. They disappeared almost immediately into one of the tombstone shoots, but Tifa knew who they were.
Cloud and Aeris. Already sorry she had gone to the window, she returned to bed and tried to forget them. But it was no good. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that there was nothing between Cloud and Aeris, no matter how many times she laughed off her feelings for Cloud as a childhood infatuation, it was never any good. Tifa hadn't cried since she was fifteen, and found her father dead in the Nibelheim reactor, but suddenly she started sobbing. Surprised at her lack of self-control, she buried her head in her pillow to muffle the sound. Imagine if the others heard her--she was supposed to be the tough one, the kick-ass one, the one who ground people twice her size into dust without even smudging her mascara. Well, she thought ruefully, it's sure smudging now.
For a long time, she vented her rage and helplessness into her soaking wet pillow. Perhaps it was jealousy that made her cry so much, or maybe it was simply the knowledge that no matter what she did, she wasn't good enough. Ever since Cloud had come to rescue her with Aeris at his side, she had replaced counting sheep with fantasizing various ways for Aeris to die. At first she hadn't known what caused this incredible dislike towards a perfectly nice girl. After all, Cloud was just a friend, and if he wanted Aeris, well....
But when he insisted on breaking into the Shinra headquarters to rescue Aeris, Tifa had known what was wrong--SHE loved Cloud. After that startling realization came another one--she meant nothing to Cloud, especially next to that green-eyed, half-human, planet-saving, Cloud-stealing Cetra. But I could love her too. It wasn't fair! Nothing was fair, of course, but this went beyond unfair. For the first time, Tifa had known exactly what she wanted, but he's already taken. The injustice of life was too much.
Her tears finally did what her sleeping pills couldn't--Tifa fell asleep. Hours later, when Cid's frantic pounding on her door awoke her, she remembered only one thing from her dreams--in each, she had looked down to find her hands covered in blood.
She sat up with a start. She could hear Cid calling along the hallway. Groggily, she rose and stuck her head out the door. Cid rushed over, and leaned, panting, against the doorframe.
"There's been a little trouble with the Keystone," he said, still catching his breath. "If y'could come down for jus' a second..."
"What's happened?" Tifa heard the anxiety laced through the pilot's voice, and it put her on edge.
"Not important....well, yeah, it's important. Just get your ass downstairs!" He turned and ran off to Yuffie's room, leaving Tifa standing alone, somewhat befuddled and still dizzy with sleep. She dressed quickly and hurried to the staircase.
* * * * *
Tifa clung to her seat in the Tiny Bronco. Conversation was virtually impossible above the roar of the propellers, and so she let her thoughts wander to the previous evening's occurences as the plane moved towards the small, distant island.
What, exactly, had happened the night before? Cloud and Aeris had quickly explained the events and Cait Sith had explained his part, but the whole thing still seemed obtuse and clouded to Tifa. True, both CLoud and Aeris were with her on the journey to the Temple of the Ancients, but the noise was incredible and neither of them seemed to be in the mood to talk. Cloud's expression was impassive and unreadable as usual, but Aeris looked pensive. Probably she was thinking about the mission, like Tifa. After all, Tifa thought cattily, she does consider this HER mission.
Immediately sorry for the stray thought, Tifa winced. She's the closest thing I have to a real friend. And sometimes.sometimes I just want to make her as miserable as I am.
The temple was now visible from the tiny plane. It loomed darkly on the horizon, and Tifa's train of thought turned away from Aeris and to the sight in front of her. Her musings came to a halt minutes later when they landed on the beach.
The Temple of the Ancients looked exactly like something out of an adventure novel. A swaying rope bridge led to a doorway in a forbidding stone wall. Vines hung off of the wall and grew up its sides, and the Temple itself looked like an ancient burial ground. The three moved towards it, Aeris looking more and more apprehensive. She ran ahead a few times, and murmured a few comments, seemingly at random, of the Ancients and the Temple.
As they approached the Temple, she noticed a man cloaked in black...just like the ones from Nibelheim. Cloud moved to him, but as he got nearer, the man seemed to move farther away. Finally, when he couldn't retreat anymore, he mumbled something and disappeared. Tifa only caught one phrase. "Black Materia...?" she mouthed, raising a questioning brow, but Cloud only shrugged. They walked to the door.
Tifa had been uncertain as to how they would actually enter the Temple without the Keystone, but it turned out that that wasn't a problem at all.
A dying Tseng was on the floor of the lobby. Cloud knelt by his side, and Tseng murmured a few inaudible phases to him before he died. Cloud straighted up, eyes flashing.
"We're entering the Temple," he said. "Sephiroth did this." He took the Keystone from Tseng's cold hands and placed it on the altar. A doorway opened behind them, and they passed through it.
Tifa stared around her, slightly shaken. They had appeared in what seemed to be an incomprehensible maze, full of staircases twisting through doorways and leading nowhere. She shook her head. No way could they get through this.
Cloud was apparently thinking the same things, because Tifa could see his jaw practically drop as he, too, shook his head in bewilderment. Aeris, on the other hand, seemed much calmer than she had been before. She pointed ahead of her.
"Follow him," she said, and Tifa suddenly realized that there was a small, purple creature ahead of them, who was scurrying away. Cloud nodded, and ran after him, Aeris and Tifa falling slightly behind.
The three companions ran up staircases and through short tunnels, climbing vines and walls until they reached a small cave. The purple creature offered them rest, but little information. Aeris could communicate with him, and reported that he was an Ancient and a guardian of the Temple. After a brief rest, they moved on again.
Another small, purple Ancient appeared in the staircase maze. Once again, Aeris insisted on following him, and they subsequently found themselves in a long, well-lit tunnel. In the centre of the tunnel was a glowing pool. They approached it and knelt.
Sephiroth's and the Turks' images appeared, floating in the depths of the Mako pool. A replay of what had obviously been the Tseng's fatal encounter hovered in the water. Tifa shuddered. "And that happened just hours ago..." She looked over at Cloud and Aeris, who were looking at each other, both stunned. The usual twinge of jealousy passed through her when she realized Cloud was unaware of her presence, but she forced her mind back to their mission.
Hours later, they stumbled through a door--hopefully the last door, Tifa thought. The maze, the clock room, and chasing the Ancients around was not her idea of fun. Praying that this room would end their mission, she looked over at her partners.
Sephiroth was standing in front Cloud, inspecting the wall. He turned to them and smiled.
The lightning flashed again. For a brief moment, the entire park was flooded with light--just enough light for Tifa to see two familiar figures running through the graveyard in front of the hotel. They disappeared almost immediately into one of the tombstone shoots, but Tifa knew who they were.
Cloud and Aeris. Already sorry she had gone to the window, she returned to bed and tried to forget them. But it was no good. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that there was nothing between Cloud and Aeris, no matter how many times she laughed off her feelings for Cloud as a childhood infatuation, it was never any good. Tifa hadn't cried since she was fifteen, and found her father dead in the Nibelheim reactor, but suddenly she started sobbing. Surprised at her lack of self-control, she buried her head in her pillow to muffle the sound. Imagine if the others heard her--she was supposed to be the tough one, the kick-ass one, the one who ground people twice her size into dust without even smudging her mascara. Well, she thought ruefully, it's sure smudging now.
For a long time, she vented her rage and helplessness into her soaking wet pillow. Perhaps it was jealousy that made her cry so much, or maybe it was simply the knowledge that no matter what she did, she wasn't good enough. Ever since Cloud had come to rescue her with Aeris at his side, she had replaced counting sheep with fantasizing various ways for Aeris to die. At first she hadn't known what caused this incredible dislike towards a perfectly nice girl. After all, Cloud was just a friend, and if he wanted Aeris, well....
But when he insisted on breaking into the Shinra headquarters to rescue Aeris, Tifa had known what was wrong--SHE loved Cloud. After that startling realization came another one--she meant nothing to Cloud, especially next to that green-eyed, half-human, planet-saving, Cloud-stealing Cetra. But I could love her too. It wasn't fair! Nothing was fair, of course, but this went beyond unfair. For the first time, Tifa had known exactly what she wanted, but he's already taken. The injustice of life was too much.
Her tears finally did what her sleeping pills couldn't--Tifa fell asleep. Hours later, when Cid's frantic pounding on her door awoke her, she remembered only one thing from her dreams--in each, she had looked down to find her hands covered in blood.
She sat up with a start. She could hear Cid calling along the hallway. Groggily, she rose and stuck her head out the door. Cid rushed over, and leaned, panting, against the doorframe.
"There's been a little trouble with the Keystone," he said, still catching his breath. "If y'could come down for jus' a second..."
"What's happened?" Tifa heard the anxiety laced through the pilot's voice, and it put her on edge.
"Not important....well, yeah, it's important. Just get your ass downstairs!" He turned and ran off to Yuffie's room, leaving Tifa standing alone, somewhat befuddled and still dizzy with sleep. She dressed quickly and hurried to the staircase.
* * * * *
Tifa clung to her seat in the Tiny Bronco. Conversation was virtually impossible above the roar of the propellers, and so she let her thoughts wander to the previous evening's occurences as the plane moved towards the small, distant island.
What, exactly, had happened the night before? Cloud and Aeris had quickly explained the events and Cait Sith had explained his part, but the whole thing still seemed obtuse and clouded to Tifa. True, both CLoud and Aeris were with her on the journey to the Temple of the Ancients, but the noise was incredible and neither of them seemed to be in the mood to talk. Cloud's expression was impassive and unreadable as usual, but Aeris looked pensive. Probably she was thinking about the mission, like Tifa. After all, Tifa thought cattily, she does consider this HER mission.
Immediately sorry for the stray thought, Tifa winced. She's the closest thing I have to a real friend. And sometimes.sometimes I just want to make her as miserable as I am.
The temple was now visible from the tiny plane. It loomed darkly on the horizon, and Tifa's train of thought turned away from Aeris and to the sight in front of her. Her musings came to a halt minutes later when they landed on the beach.
The Temple of the Ancients looked exactly like something out of an adventure novel. A swaying rope bridge led to a doorway in a forbidding stone wall. Vines hung off of the wall and grew up its sides, and the Temple itself looked like an ancient burial ground. The three moved towards it, Aeris looking more and more apprehensive. She ran ahead a few times, and murmured a few comments, seemingly at random, of the Ancients and the Temple.
As they approached the Temple, she noticed a man cloaked in black...just like the ones from Nibelheim. Cloud moved to him, but as he got nearer, the man seemed to move farther away. Finally, when he couldn't retreat anymore, he mumbled something and disappeared. Tifa only caught one phrase. "Black Materia...?" she mouthed, raising a questioning brow, but Cloud only shrugged. They walked to the door.
Tifa had been uncertain as to how they would actually enter the Temple without the Keystone, but it turned out that that wasn't a problem at all.
A dying Tseng was on the floor of the lobby. Cloud knelt by his side, and Tseng murmured a few inaudible phases to him before he died. Cloud straighted up, eyes flashing.
"We're entering the Temple," he said. "Sephiroth did this." He took the Keystone from Tseng's cold hands and placed it on the altar. A doorway opened behind them, and they passed through it.
Tifa stared around her, slightly shaken. They had appeared in what seemed to be an incomprehensible maze, full of staircases twisting through doorways and leading nowhere. She shook her head. No way could they get through this.
Cloud was apparently thinking the same things, because Tifa could see his jaw practically drop as he, too, shook his head in bewilderment. Aeris, on the other hand, seemed much calmer than she had been before. She pointed ahead of her.
"Follow him," she said, and Tifa suddenly realized that there was a small, purple creature ahead of them, who was scurrying away. Cloud nodded, and ran after him, Aeris and Tifa falling slightly behind.
The three companions ran up staircases and through short tunnels, climbing vines and walls until they reached a small cave. The purple creature offered them rest, but little information. Aeris could communicate with him, and reported that he was an Ancient and a guardian of the Temple. After a brief rest, they moved on again.
Another small, purple Ancient appeared in the staircase maze. Once again, Aeris insisted on following him, and they subsequently found themselves in a long, well-lit tunnel. In the centre of the tunnel was a glowing pool. They approached it and knelt.
Sephiroth's and the Turks' images appeared, floating in the depths of the Mako pool. A replay of what had obviously been the Tseng's fatal encounter hovered in the water. Tifa shuddered. "And that happened just hours ago..." She looked over at Cloud and Aeris, who were looking at each other, both stunned. The usual twinge of jealousy passed through her when she realized Cloud was unaware of her presence, but she forced her mind back to their mission.
Hours later, they stumbled through a door--hopefully the last door, Tifa thought. The maze, the clock room, and chasing the Ancients around was not her idea of fun. Praying that this room would end their mission, she looked over at her partners.
Sephiroth was standing in front Cloud, inspecting the wall. He turned to them and smiled.
