Chapter 2: The First Key to the Promise Land

The first place Tifa headed was Midgar. It was closest and Barret lived there. She could think of nobody better to start with than Barret. She and Barret had been close "friends" since the Sephiroth incident in Nibelheim. He had always looked out for her and her best interests. Then when she had needed him the most, he had not been there for her. Some friend he could call himself.

As she walked through the Sector 7 gates, she thought of all the ways to torture Barret before he died. Sephiroth had told her that he didn't care how she committed the murder, so long as Barret ended up dead. He said that Barret's blood was one of the seven keys to the promise land. The only way Tifa could get to the promise land and Sephiroth was with these 7 keys. Nothing would stop her, no matter what the cost.

Tifa made her way to Barret's house in Midgar. Actually it was Elmyra's house, but since Barret and Marlene lived there too, she considered it Barret's house. Marlene...she hoped Marlene would not be around when Barret's time came. She did not want to have to kill the little girl too. Elmyra she didn't care about. She could murder that damn bitch for fun if she felt like it. Tifa smiled at this thought, then veered off the path to Barret's and headed for the Wall Market instead. She needed to get some supplies and things first. "Oh yes," she thought to herself, "I need to pick up some painful devices first." She laughed quietly. Her laugh had a sort of maniacal quality to it, but she couldn't help it.

Tifa walked around the Wall Market looking for anything that looked appealing for her purposes. Whatever she bought, she could use on the other 7 members of AVALANCHE (her former friends) or the other 7 keys if she preferred to think of them that way. She headed for the Weapon's Shop. The Weapon's Shop always had something useful for battle; maybe it had something useful for torture or imprisonment as well. Tifa walked up to the counter. The shopkeeper looked up and greeted her.

"What can I do for you miss?" the shopkeeper asked his voice gruff.

"I'm looking for a torture device of some kind," Tifa replied nonchalantly. "You wouldn't happen to have anything of that nature would you?

"No, I'm sorry miss...," the Shopkeeper said, his voice loosing its gruffness and taking on a suspicious quality and quivering just a little.

"Pity...," Tifa said flashing him a rather evil grin. "Well then, could you possibly recommend a place where I might a buy such a device?"

"Yes...I suppose I can...Miss, what exactly do you want a device like that for?" the Shopkeeper asked warily.

"Does it matter?" Tifa snapped

"Well I was only--," the shopkeeper started, but was interrupted by Tifa.

"If you must know, I'm a collector of things like that. I don't want to use them for anything of course," Tifa lied convincingly.

"Oh I see..." the Shopkeeper said. "...sorry for asking, it was rude and uncalled for. Forgive me."

"Don't worry about it. Now you said that you could recommend a place...," Tifa prodded.

"Oh yes!" the Shopkeeper exclaimed. "There is a place that has just recently moved in. It's down at what used to be Corneo's Mansion. I think you will be able to find what you seek there."

"Thank you," Tifa replied warmly, and walked out. She knew only too well where Corneo's Mansion was, and headed that way. When she got there, she went inside.

It was dark and grim. An evil atmosphere hung around the place, due to all the torture devices and such set up everywhere, which Tifa absolutely loved. She walked around looking at all the weapons and instruments on the shelves. She wanted something small but effective, something that could easily be concealed and no one would be any the wiser. Her eyes lit on a shelf full of ceremonial daggers. She walked over and began to examine them. As she looked through the daggers, she noticed a particularly jagged-edged one. Tifa picked it up and examined it. It was a medium sized dagger, and the handle was carved with all sorts of symbols that were unfamiliar to her. The handle was made of dark mahogany wood. The symbols were etched into the handle in a way that made it seem as if they said something important in a long lost language. As she studied the dagger closer she realized that she had seen them somewhere before. Suddenly it came to her. She had seen these carved into the wall at the Temple of the Ancients. These were the words of the Ancients! They had to have some significance to the promise-land! That had to be why Sephiroth had guided her to the Wall Market instead of straight to Barret's. Tifa picked up the dagger and continued her search. She collected some handcuffs and chains, as well as some viles to put the blood of the seven keys in, and some poison that wouldn't kill, but cause severe pain. Tifa took her purchases up to the counter, and the shopkeeper looked them over.

"Good choice, very rare," the Shopkeeper said of the dagger. "I've never seen another one like it. In fact it was only just brought in to me today by a man in a black cape, with long, flowing silver hair. He seemed very intent on leaving it in the shop for a certain woman to find. Could you be that woman?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Tifa lied.

"Ah, well, that's how life goes. Always obliged for a paying customer. That will be 5,000 gil for the dagger, and another 5,000 for the rest of the products," the Shopkeeper said.

Tifa dug out the 10,000 gil for the items. "Thank you, sir," she replied with false sincerity.

"My pleasure, miss," the shopkeeper replied shoving her money into his cash drawer.

Tifa gathered up the items and headed to the Shildra Inn. She got a room and took he stuff upstairs and locked the door. She put the poison in the pocket of her jeans, and stashed the rest of the stuff under the bed. Tifa walked out locking the door and taking the keys with her. It could be disastrous if someone found out what she was hiding.

Once outside Tifa began to make her way to Barret's house. When she got there, she rang the doorbell, and who should answer the door but Barret, Elmyra close behind him.

"Tifa!" Barret said enthusiastically. "Haven't heard from you in a long time. How have you been?"

"Hi Barret!" Tifa said excitedly. "Oh just running the bar and stuff all by myself. Cloud took off a while ago. Said he was still in love with Aeris." She shrugged.

"Oh yeah, we heard about that. Cloud came to visit after he left. Sorry about that. We kept meaning to get in contact with you and find out how you were doing, but things kept coming up and we got busy," Elmyra said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you did. Don't worry about it," Tifa replied.

"Please, come in. I'll get some tea," Elmyra said. She led Tifa into the sitting room and turned to go to the kitchen.

"Wait, let me help you," Tifa said.

"If you insist," Elmyra said gratefully.

Once she had led the way into the kitchen and well out of ear shot of Barret, Tifa watched as Elmyra made tea and chatted to her about Marlene.

"Where is Marlene anyway?" Tifa asked politely.

"She is staying with a friend for the weekend. She won't be back until Monday," Elmyra said cheerfully.

"Good...," Tifa muttered to herself. Suddenly the chance she had been waiting for came as Elmyra moved to walk past her. In one swift, effortless motion, Tifa reached out and snapped Elmyra's neck. She never knew what hit her, Tifa dragger her lifeless body into a cupboard and poured a cup of tea for Barret. She put a few drops of the poison laced with a tranquilizer in his tea. As smiled coldly to herself as she took the tea out to him.

"Where's Elmyra?" Barret asked when Tifa came back without her.

"Oh, she had to run out for a little while. She said she had some errands to do." Tifa shrugged.

"That's not like her. She would have come and told me if she left...," Barret said suspiciously.

"Maybe she just wanted to give us time to ourselves. It has been quite a while since we talked.

"Maybe...," Barret said gulping his tea down. "Hey Tifa, I don't feel so well...," Barret said a few minutes later. He looked woozy for a minute and then just passed out cold. Tifa laughed manaically to herself as she dragged Barret towards the church in the slums. People stared as she walked past.

"Damn drunk! He always gets like this," Tifa would explain to anyone who looked at her or tried to help her out. Finally she managed to get him to the church. The poison along with the tranquilizer would keep Barret knocked out for a few hours at the very least, but just in case she locked him up in the abandoned church tower.

Two hours later Tifa returned with her supplies. She chained Barret up so that he was suspended from he rafters in the church tower. The anchored his feet with more chains so that he could not lash out and kick her or something. Tifa stripped him of his shirt and made sure that his gun arm was immobile and unloaded. Then she sat and waited for him to wake up. She took out the dagger and began to polish it.

Finally, a little over and hour later, Barret opened his eyes and focused on Tifa. He groaned; the poison was wearing on him giving him a severe headache and probably a hell of stomachache. She smiled coldly at him. "Barret, I see you are finally awake."

"What the hell happened, and why the fuck am I tied up like this, Tifa," Barret asked his anger showing through.

"Because, Barret, you betrayed me. You left me to be alone when Cloud left. You didn't even try to contact me, or console me or anything. You just left me." Tifa said bitterly.

"Elmyra told you--," Barret said but was interrupted by Tifa.

"Elmyra was lying and you know it," Tifa said.

"Okay, I admit it. I was too caught up in being problem free to deal with your problems Tifa. I'm sorry. Can we talk this out reasonably instead of resorting to this?" Barret asked panicked but trying to sound calm.

"o, Barret, we can't. You have to pay for betraying me. Now I have a new love, and I need your blood to get to him...," Tifa said, standing up and walking towards him with the dagger in her hand. She began to carve into his smooth, dark chest. Barret screamed in pain. Tifa continued carving the symbols on the dagger into his chest. As the blood began to flow, she collected it in the vile. When the vile was full, she corked it and continued etching things into his skin, all over his body. Barret screamed in agony and tried to get free, but he was bound too tight. His body was mangled, but his face was untouched. Tifa noticed this and began to drag the jagged edge of the knife along his cheeks. Then she stabbed his eyes out for no other reason than her own glee. Tifa knew that was what Sephiroth had wanted. She laughed gleefully as Barret screamed and blood poured from the eye-sockets. After she had her fun, she reached up and twisted his head hard and his neck snapped. "Good night, sweet Barret. Soon you shall be with the rest of AVALANCHE in hell!" Tifa began to laugh evily.