Let it never be said that heroes don't have fun while saving the world.


"You have to get Tifa and Barret and Cloud over here right now, do you hear me?!"

Denzel held the phone away from his ear. Unnecessarily, he hoped he hadn't offended Yuffie in doing so, not that she could see him, but her energy sometimes amplified her voice to unhearable levels.

"Hey, kid!" Yuffie shouted. "You still there?"

"Yes," Denzel answered.

"Well, are you gonna tell them or not? I mean, this is urgent. Is Tifa around? Maybe if I get her to come, the others would follow. Heh, who 'm I kidding? Cloud'd just say he's got too much work, and Barret would just be his grumpy self, as usual." She prattled on, forgetting her audience for a moment. With an uncharacteristic sigh, she added, "Some things never change." The nature of that comment had Denzel wondering if she sometimes missed fighting monsters alongside her friends, but before he could voice his thoughts, Yuffie seemed to remember him and gave a nervous laugh. "Heh, heh. So, yeah. Like I said: I dug up old Vinnie and caught Nanaki already, so you and I just need to get those other three out here to the Gold Saucer to have a vacation!"

"Uh, yeah…" Denzel thought about how that conversation would go. Wait. Yuffie wanted them over there at that moment – not that she ever wanted anything less than instant gratification – and that infernal school essay still needed doing… "Would it be okay if I came too?"

Yuffie paused a second as she realized he had spoken. "Oh, yeah. Sure!"

Denzel smiled. Ever since Cloud had marked the Gold Saucer on the giant map he kept in the children's bedroom, Denzel had desired to see the colorful sights for himself. Cloud never said there was much to it, but Tifa countered that he only spoke of it that way because a few events connecting back to Aerith occurred there and he still struggled to look beyond and forgive himself for those times. But there was improvement. The improvement was great enough that even Denzel saw it, and maybe Cloud was to the point that a trip to the Gold Saucer could be seen as something to look forward to and not just another emotional torture device.

Convincing the adults might not be so hard after all. Surely Barret wanted back near his hometown, and Tifa had expressed a subtle wish to see the rest of her old friends without having to worry about a world crisis. Cloud might be a problem, but two outvotes one, and with Denzel wanting to go, how could Cloud refuse?

"Yuffie, I'll–" Denzel began, but stopped at the sound of the storm door that served as their back door. It opened to let in Tifa and an exuberant Marlene.

"Denzel, guess what I…got." Her voice trailed to a quieter tone once she observed the phone grasped in his hand. "Oh, sorry."

"Who is it?" Tifa came in slower than the young girl.

Over the phone Yuffie yelled, "Hey, is that Tifa? Can I talk to her? HELLOOOO!"

Denel had few qualms about relinquishing the phone, although he wondered if saying something first might help Tifa decide to go.

"Hi, Yuffie," Tifa greeted in an affable tone. Denzel watched her speak for a moment.

"Look what I got," Marlene held up a lavender cotton dress with a ribbon around the waist to tie on one side of the hip. She handed it over for him to examine while she took off one of her shoes. "And Tifa traded my old ones at one of the bartering centers at the WRO so I could have these." The white shoes were practical – plain and sturdy with one strap over the top fastened with a button – but, they were new.

Denzel smiled politely, knowing how exciting it was for her. They rarely ever got new clothes. Tifa, Cloud, and Barret themselves only had one spare outfit each and no extra shoes. They all saved the money for school supplies for Denzel and Marlene, and, on Tifa's insistence, they also saved money for when Denzel hit his real growth spurt.

"Are you going to wear the dress?" Denzel asked.

Marlene's beaming smile died just a bit. "Tifa says I should wait until Daddy gets back tonight."

"Yeah, where is he today?"

"He said he was going to help install something at WRO headquarters. I don't remember what." She shook her head.

Denzel and Marlene quieted at the sound of Yuffie's voice echoing clearly through the speaker. "Aw, that bandy-legged old man claims he has to keep workin' on the Shera. But he'll come around." The barely contained giggle crackled through quite evidently.

"Yuffie," Tifa's scolding-mother voice emerged, and the tone was all it took for Yuffie to protest.

"It was just most of his wardrobe I stole. And his toolbox. And…well, he'll forgive me once he realizes how much he's needed a break."

Tifa shook her head and released an exasperated sigh. "Okay," Tifa nodded into the phone. "I'll have to discuss it with the others."

Denzel watched her talk.

"Uh-huh. I'll call you tonight." A light laugh. "And did you really cast sleep on Vincent and drag him across the continent?"

Yuffie's voice came through enough Denzel could hear. "Well, yeah. How else was I supposed to get him here? And you guys better hurry up before he escapes!"

Tifa chuckled and closed the conversation with a cheerful "talk to you later".

Denzel looked at her anxiously, holding his breath unconsciously.

"Is everything alright?" Tifa asked him.

"Yeah," Denzel stammered. "I just– are we going to go?"

"Go where?" Marlene questioned, putting her shoe back on.

Tifa smiled. "Yuffie has invited us for a few days at the Gold Saucer. She's paying – although I'd hate to ask how she got the gil."

Marlene's eyes widened, but Denzel already knew all this so he went on and repeated, "So can we go?"

Tifa moved into the bar's kitchen and began tying on an apron. "I have to talk to Cloud and Barret about it first, then we'll see."

Denzel mentally sighed and turned to go, but Tifa called him back.

Tifa opened the fridge and grabbed ingredients for lunch. "Is Cloud up yet?"

Marlene giggled as Denzel shook his head.

With a sigh, Tifa giggled as well. "Some days I fear he's picked up Vincent's sleeping habits. Well, Marlene would you wake him up and tell him I need to talk to him?" Marlene retrieved her dress from Denzel, who had forgotten he was holding it. "Oh, and ask him if he's hungry yet."

Marlene nodded emphatically and marched upstairs.


"That's on the western continent, Tifa," Cloud's reasonably voice cut in.

"I know, but you do deliveries there all the time. And besides, Yuffie has a point. We could all use a break from work."

"Ya know it's close to home for me," Barret protested. "I ain't through helpin' 'em rebuild yet."

It was later that day when Tifa finally got Barret and Cloud in the same room for more than five minutes so she could discuss plans with them. Denzel and Marlene were supposed to be cleaning their room, but the prospect of potentially traveling to the world's greatest vacation center excited them too much. So both determined that overhearing plans for the next few days took priority over having a tidy bedroom, and, more importantly, obeying their guardians.

Barret went on. "And wha' about Shelke. You wanna leave her here by herself to take care o' the bar?"

"Of course not, Barret!"

"Will she even want to go?" Cloud asked.

It was silent for a moment. Tifa admitted, "Probably not. She's thrown herself into helping at the WRO every day. I don't know that'd she'll want to give up the extra time that she could be looking for Shalua either."

"Good point."

"But we might as well invite her." Tifa concluded.

Barret quickly reminded, "Tha's if we're going at all."

"Tifa," Cloud said quietly. "Denzel has something he'd like to ask you."

Denzel's heart pounded, and he backed up from where he'd been leaning against the door.

"Denzel?" Cloud called him. Sometimes having a super sensing, powerful "ex-SOLDIER" as a guardian was great. It made it that much easier to scare off potential bullies whenever Denzel went out in Edge alone or to school. But there were definitely severe drawbacks. Like being caught listening when you were supposed to be doing chores.

Drawing a deep breath, Denzel pushed the door open, Marlene following. The wood planks beneath his feet gained his full attention as slight shame for being caught rose in his stomach. Tifa exclaimed in minute disapproval at their actions, but the reprimand went no further.

"Why don't you ask her now?" Cloud inclined his head to Tifa, and although Denzel missed the gesture, he nodded, gathered his courage, and thrust himself into the task of convincing Tifa that he needed to go to the Gold Saucer.

"Tifa, I…" He shuffled forward a bit and brushed the hair from his eyes. Cloud said he would help. That meant he only needed to explain the assignment and Cloud would do the convincing. That thought helped, and he started again, squaring his gaze into Tifa's luscious brown eyes. "Mrs. Juboski wants all the kids to write a paper about a place that has drastically changed in the last twenty years. And I was just thinking that since Yuffie's got everyone going to the Gold Saucer that maybe I could come too and write my essay on that." His eyes flicked to Cloud for reassurance, who in turn nodded back imperceptibly.

"Mrs. Juboski?" Barret questioned.

Tifa nodded at him. "The volunteer school teacher working with the kids in Edge." Speaking to Denzel, she motioned for him to come closer. "In all fairness, Denzel, I don't think Dio has changed anything in the Gold Saucer over the last twenty years.

Cloud's turn. "But North Corel is nearby."

Tifa understood then. "And what better place to examine world development then there? Okay, I see your point."

Shelke dragged herself through the door at this moment, drained and sleepy. Tifa stopped her halfway through the room and explained the issue. Shelke responded as Tifa predicted.

"No, I think I'll stay here and help Reeve with the WRO," she said simply.

"Can I make you something to eat?" Tifa offered. "These two endless pits," she tipped her head to Barret and Cloud, "ate everything from lunch, but I'd be happy to–"

Shelke shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'm going to catch up on some sleep from last night."

"Okay."

They watched her disappear around the corner and up the stairs.

Denzel waited for a moment for the conversation to naturally resume, but when it didn't, he started, "So…"

Tifa sighed in defeat. "I guess we have no choice. You need to do your homework, and we really could all use a break."

"Yay!" cheered Denzel and Marlene.

"That don't mean I hafta go," Barret countered.

"But, Daddy," Marlene moved strategically next to his knee and stood, gathering all her child-like powers of persuasion and setting them loose on her father. "I want to see your hometown. I want to know what it looks like where you grew up."

"And you don't have to go to the Gold Saucer if you don't want to," Tifa added.

Cloud offered a warning though. "But if Yuffie finds out you're nearby…"

Marlene's sweet, melting gaze was unavoidable and Barret caved instantly upon meeting her pleading eyes. "A'ight, but you hafta finish up your room before we talk about it any more."

Marlene beamed. Then, throwing her arms around Barret's muscular middle, she exclaimed, "Thank you, daddy!" He hugged her back briefly before she pulled away to race Denzel up the stairs to their room.

Tifa, Cloud, and Barret remained in the room, all of them feeling pleased for making the day brighter for the children, but that emotion rapidly passed as the overwhelming planning for the next week grew as a dark cloud over all of them. The most responsible person there was Tifa, but all needed to contribute to the decision making. Unfortunately, that's where Cloud and Barret clashed the most. So with great effort, Tifa making up for Cloud's apparent "communication incompetence" and placating Barret's indecisive attitude, they drew a rough plan of the presumed vacation. By the end of it, all of them wished not only that they were not going to go through with it, but that they weren't adults faced with such menial yet significant decisions.


Tifa left out the back door, entering into the wide alleyway between Seventh Heaven and the building next door. Inhaling deep, she held the cool air in her lungs till they burned for fresh oxygen. She finally released her breath in a sagging sigh.

Barret always got a titch riled when forced to make plans. The real problem lay with the fact that he still got stern with Cloud as he did since first meeting him. Maybe it was Cloud's calm way of remaining a passive suggestor. If that was it, even Tifa had to agree. Cloud needed to more frequently take action, even if that only meant talking more.

"Hello?" A voice sprung into the air from behind her.

She nearly jumped since she thought the alley was empty. Turning, a very familiar figure grinned at her, a bit of concern dampening the smile.

"Johnny," she smiled in return.

He stepped forward, hands digging deep into his jacket pockets as a bit of shyness washed over him. "Yeah, that's me." Just by watching his features contort, Tifa knew he felt stupid for responding like that. She wasn't sure if she was glad to see him or a bit peeved. The only real reason for the latter emotion was her need for space to cool down, but how would he know that?

He caught her staring. Shyness faded as he asked sincerely, "Are you okay?"

She tipped her head, feigning ignorance.

"You look a bit stressed out," he elaborated.

Truthfully, Tifa was not one to lie. That didn't mean she had to say anything. "I'm alright."

He raised a single eyebrow in skepticism.

"Really, I'm fine. It's just those two." She sighed, memories of Barret's initial abrasiveness toward Cloud surfacing in her mind again. "They don't normally agree on things, and sometimes…"

"Things get out of hand?" Johnny suggested.

She nodded, "Yeah." Her hands found her pockets and stowed away there. "But I'm getting used to it."

She gave a forced, happy smile, but Johnny refuted, "Just because you're getting used to it, doesn't mean it's a good thing." He wanted to smack his head against the cinderblock wall after those words. The object was to comfort her, not–

"You know," Tifa nodded, looking him squarely in the eyes, "You're right."

She could almost hear his thoughts: Score! Now to get the next sentence out without fumbling. Even so, she was surprised by his offer. "If you need a moment away from them, I'd be happy to you with walk– I-I mean, walk with you." He reddened at her giggle, but the offer did not come without reward. She smiled sincerely and nodded acceptance. In his own clumsy way, Johnny had helped Tifa release some of the frustration causing her grief moments earlier.

Johnny strode confidently forward, leading the way though she walked beside him. Not looking at him, she missed the final thoughts cross his expression…

… … … …

Things could work out alright even when he was nervous. Now Johnny only hoped Tifa didn't ask him exactly why he had been walking outside the back door to her bar.


Sorry if anyone is looking for updates for "Warrior in Heart". Life's been crazy so I just find this lighthearted fic easier to write right now. Anyway, if you liked something specific in here, I'd love to know.

-Dante