Oblivion
Chapter 9
Autumn flew in on a breeze to Costa del Sol. Two months had passed since she'd spoken with Sephiroth. Those long days felt strangely ominous to her, but somehow the abnormality of it all became normal. Tifa mussed through her hair before binding it in a high ponytail. He'd done nothing unusual, she heard. He ate, slept, and worked out in a near monk-like silence. Cloud and a few protectors ruminated over the implications of it all, but she…she had training to do and shouldn't have been thinking about this at the moment. She sighed and grabbed a light jacket before heading out of the door. It was windy but mild — her favorite time of the year. Tifa launched herself into a jog away from the residential district and towards a hilly park where she saw her sparring partner for the day.
"Janine," Tifa called, signaling toward the woman with a wave.
Janine returned her greeting with a smile that revealed brilliantly white teeth. She was tall and lanky with skin the color of deep mahogany. Janine stood from where she'd been doing squats and stretched, running her hands along her closely cropped hair.
"Long night?" Tifa inquired.
"The longest." Her friend replied, shedding the black jacket to her Protector's uniform.
"That's too bad. Happy belated by the way. I'm sorry that we couldn't do anything. You know, politics mangle up everything. There was this stupid gala that I had to attend with Cloud and —"
Janine cut her off with a laugh and outstretched hand, "It's okay, Tifa. NBD. You're the wife to one of the most powerful men on the planet. These sorts of things are perks with the lifestyle." The woman cleared her throat upon receiving Tifa's reproachful grimace and added, "Oh, don't give me that look. You know that I didn't mean it that way. I'm just trying to say that I'm twenty-two. It's not a big thing to fuss about. It's just another day out of the year."
Tifa snorted, "I remember twenty-two. It was a hell of a year, but it's not just." She squiggled her fingers, signaling air quotes and continuing, "Another day. You're my protégé and truthfully the only one who gives a damn about the martial arts in this whole damn city."
Janine grinned and then swept herself into a bow, "Well, shall we begin?"
"Let's get on with it then. Keep up what you've been doing with your footwork." Tifa said, sizing up Janine who pulled herself into a defensive posture. Tifa smiled to herself noting how the younger woman's positioning had significantly improved. Though she had the height advantage, it had at one time been her greatest weakness. Her palms were open but ever so slightly cupped and stretched away from her frame. Tifa knew that she wouldn't strike first. Experience had taught her patience.
Fine, Tifa thought, if that was how she was playing it, then she would begin. Tifa lunged forward, feinting toward the right before she struck out with a kick toward Janine's left hip. The woman dodged and circled around her back only to strike air. Tifa ducked and rolled beneath the woman's legs, before grabbing her ankles and using the momentum of the moment to flip Janine on her back.
Janine was only there for an instant before she leapt to her feet, winded and frustrated. She sprinted toward Tifa and landed a well-placed blow on her left shoulder that knocked the smaller woman off of her feet for the briefest moment. The two then backed away from each other, pacing in parallel tandem. Tifa quickly fell into a low lunge and struck Janine with a spinning kick to the knee.
"Ow, damn." Janine cried, grasping at her leg, "Okay, I give. Let's take a breather for a moment."
"Yes, let's." Tifa answered, panting. She redid her ponytail and took a seat on the soft earth near the woman's side. Janine dug around in a blue knapsack and tossed the other woman a bottle of water. Tifa thanked her after having a long drink.
"Not a problem. I couldn't help but notice that you had forgotten yours." Janine retorted.
Tifa shrugged, "I was a little distracted this morning."
"By what?" Janine asked.
"It's been nearly three full months since Sephiroth's capture and two since I've spoken to him. It's like he's here but isn't. I know every moment of every day that he is beneath our city, and it scares the hell out of me, but I think I'm getting used it." Tifa replied. She chewed her lower lip and stared down into a mossy wooded trail beneath where they sat. She became extremely aware of the ground's mid-morning moisture dampening her backside.
Janine released a shaky breath, "It is pretty damn scary, isn't it? Guard duty days are the worst. I swear that I feel ice on my spine every time I pass his cell. I was still a kid when everything went down with Meteor, but I remember. Everyone remembers."
Tifa nodded and remembered the years that immediately followed. She would never forget the famines — the bloated stomachs and lidless eyes of the Midgardian refugees fleeing the city. The devastation spread all around in lieu of the lifestream repelling the death bringer. Hellish years, she thought with a shudder before speaking, "I'm worried too about the Insurrection. They're getting bolder. There were a series of murders by a disputed hamlet near the old Gold Saucer. Cloud said he came across a mass grave outside of a farm, but I'm sure that you know that. He isn't talking to me about it, but I know that he's haunted by what he's been seeing."
Janine frowned, "I know as much as you do. I'm not that high up…there has been some talk rippling through the PF though. They're escalating their tactics, and it might be a matter of time before we do as well, but that's the boss's decision."
Tifa balked, "Cloud wouldn't. There must still be room for negotiation." With a sigh of finality, Tifa stood and motioned to Janine, "Shall we continue?"
They sparred for another hour, and Tifa demonstrated a few new sequences before she bid her friend goodbye for the day. Janine would be on active duty in an hour and needed to head home to freshen up again. Tifa nodded and departed in the opposite direction. Her muscles throbbed deliciously, and she savored the sting of a good workout. Her heart beamed with pride for her student, but still, half of her was troubled. Through the thick foliage, Tifa spied the path to the sidewalk and followed its winding way down the hillside. The mere thought of war pulled her stomach into knots. Cloud should've been home by now. She would ask him then.
As she emerged from the urban forest and onto the street, the sun blinded her. It sat like a fat, yellow egg directly overhead and warmed her back and shoulders. The streets were quieter after the tourist season. She walked mindlessly until she reached home. She showered quickly and dressed in simple leggings and a well-worn tank before heading for the kitchen.
"Cloud," she called throughout the house.
A muffled grunt answered her from a cracked door leading into the first-floor study.
She opened the fridge and frowned at a mushy pear before withdrawing a questionable egg salad sandwich that was still in its wrapper. She sat on a stool at the kitchen island, setting one hand on cool granite. Cloud staggered into the room. He stifled a yawn and rubbed at his red-ringed eyes.
She clucked her tongue, "You shouldn't do that yourself. You like hell today."
Cloud snorted, "Gee thanks, Tifa." He sat adjacent to her and stroked her arm with affection before stealing half of her sandwich.
"Hey," she squeaked and poked him, "That was mine."
"You weren't eating it quickly enough," Cloud said with a playful smirk and before frowning, "Ugh, this is borderline rancid. We need to go shopping."
Tifa sniffed at it and shrugged before taking a bite. Between mouthfuls, she studied her husband closely, "Is something on your mind?" She couldn't help but think back to her conversation with Janine earlier that day.
"The Insurrection, of course. I told you that we uncovered a mass grave recently after a string of disappearances. This is more than a simple land dispute now. We've doubled down on patrols, but I have reason to suspect from our latest intel that there are some Ex-SOLDIERS down there raising hell."
"What?" Tifa turned, now giving her husband her full attention, "I thought that nearly all of them had joined the PF."
Cloud snorted, "Not enough apparently. We're barely keeping pace with this group's movements. We just learned about an old Shinra black site that they raided more than a month ago at this point. Hundreds of arms are flowing freely down South, and mayors from fringe towns are calling me daily telling what I already know about the situation. People are afraid, and the local authorities are overwhelmed."
"Sounds like a power grab if you ask me."
"Damn straight." Cloud spat, "There's always a big man somewhere who wants a little more than his share, and he'll always have a gaggle of idiots right behind him cheering him on until everything's chaos. Our problem lies in the villages and towns that are aligned with this nonsense. I'm trying to keep this w…no, this thing away from the non-combatants."
Tifa placed both of her hands over his, tracing his callused fingers. She leaned across the stool, making him face her until their foreheads were touching, and with closed eyes she whispered, "No matter how bad things get, you don't let this thing change you. Sticks to your guns and just be you. You don't have to be our big man to put down theirs. You care so much that it hurts, and I get it. We've nearly died for just a few moments of peace and…" she licked her lips searching for the word before continuing haltingly, "Order. Please don't you ever forget that I'm here for you."
He caught her lips suddenly, pulling her into a kiss that expressed such desperate need that it overwhelmed her. She felt like she was drowning within the weight that hung over Cloud as he leaned forward, seized her shoulders, and clung to her much smaller frame.
"I don't know what I would do without you, Tifa."
That very night, the world turned on its side. Tifa awoke with a jolt, alone in her bed. Everything hurt at once – the blaring of the sirens, the smoke that sent her into a coughing fit, and ache that came from interrupted sleep after a long workday. Ten past two in the morning, she read as the bleary, red alarm clock's numbering came into focus from her nightstand. Tifa leapt out of bed and ran for the window. Curtains blew wildly in the breeze. In the distance, Costa del Sol burned. Smoke billowed into the night and choked out the stars. Intermingled with volleys of gunfire, a second, larger explosion erupted in the distance. There was a kick at her door, and she needed no further prompting to roll into action. She dressed quickly and slotted her materia just in time to see a hooded gunman shoulder a rifle in her direction. She fired off an ice spell before he could fire a single shot.
The sudden use of magic left her a little dazed, but she rocked with the queasiness into a jump and landed on the man, pulling him in a hold.
The gunman somewhat recovered gasped for air and fought against her grasp.
"Not so fast." Tifa growled, "Drop the weapon and tell me what the fuck you're doing here."
"Let me-"
"Go? Hell no." She said, tightening her grasp around his neck.
The gunman dropped his weapon. Tifa cast a disabling spell on him and his arms fell limply at his side.
"Now then." The martial artist began, "Who are you? What are you doing here, and what the hell is going on outside?"
The man's eyes flashed with a sudden anger, and he sucked in a breath deeply before striking Tifa with a gob of brown spit.
"Wrong move." She retorted, punching him directly in the jaw. The man's head rocked against the wood floor with a sickening crack and blood dribbled down his jaw. He was unconscious. Tifa sighed, "Shit." She hadn't meant to knock him out. Now, he couldn't tell her anything. She had to get out of the house. More men could be behind him if they weren't already inside.
A beam snapped from somewhere within her home. Peering through the doorframe, she spied fire snaking its way up the stair. Stupid, she thought looking at the shooter on the ground. He was as good as dead — so was she if she didn't think of something quickly.
Tifa smacked her forehead, "Think, dammit, think." What could she do? There was no way down. A thrill of adrenaline coursed down her spine as she turned madly toward the window. She was either risking broken legs or being burned to death. She'd take the crutches. Tifa sailed through the curtains, feeling momentarily weightless before the wind began to whip past her. She could make out nothing in the pitch blackness beneath her body. They'd attacked the power plant. All of the city's lights lay dead.
She swooned when she hit the earth. A bush cradled her head, saving her from some damage, but the landing had not been soft. There was a shout from the house. She wouldn't give another attacker a chance to take aim at her. She limped down the cobblestone path into the amber glow of the burning inner city. Tifa nearly stumbled over a dead woman on the path. She had been shot several times and sat with her legs splayed out in the entryway to her cottage. Was this what the Insurrection did? Was this who they were? Tifa paled and swallowed down the bile rising in her throat.
Out of the smoke, several men ran towards her, and she crouched in a defensive squat already readying a spell.
"Woah, Tifa. Easy. It's us!" Johnny called out to her, raising the visor on his helmet, "We saw a small force run toward here. Are you okay?"
Tifa shook her head, "I think I sprained my ankle. I had to jump out of my bedroom window."
Another helmeted Protector stepped forward, handing her a blue vial, "Here."
She nodded her thanks, taking the potion from his hand and drank, gritting against the way the chemical cure forcibly stitched the torn muscle beneath her skin back together. Catching her breath, she turned once more to Johnny, "How bad is it?"
The redhead whistled lowly, "It's pretty damn bad. Something like a hundred of those bastards swooped in two hours ago. Their target was the prison."
Tifa blanched, "They didn't…"
"They did. They took out the power first, then the reserve generators, and disabled all of the locks and manacles. Every door is open. It's bedlam there. Head for the town hall. That's the only secure area. Reinforcements are coming in from west from Rocket Town. We've got to go after the others that went down the hill. Otherwise, I'd escort you there myself." Johnny said, gazing meaningfully in the direction toward her house.
Tifa shook her head, "I can make it there on my own. Do what you have to do and be safe."
Their encounter hadn't lasted but three minutes, but the dreaded implications of it all rattled her. Every door is open. The Insurrection had no idea what hell they'd unleashed. Running on animal instinct, she veered off the main road into an alley for town hall. She clamped down on the thoughts that echoed Nibelheim as she made her way down the dingy lane. The images came so readily. A disemboweled villager who'd been cut down just outside of Shinra Mansion's gates taunted her from somewhere deep in the recesses her mind.
"Go away," she muttered to herself, closing her eyes for the briefest of moments as tears began to stream from her eyes unbidden. No, she wiped at her face. She had to be like steel to get through this. Her alleyway turned into another. She was close now. She suddenly broke from her stride, nearly losing her balance. There he was.
Sephiroth paced into the alley and glanced behind him. He hadn't seen her yet, and she wasn't going to make herself noticed. She sucked in a breath and sank behind a large dumpster, giving the smell no mind. He stepped onto her lane. She spied his bare, dirty feet peeking out just before her, the rest of his body still hidden. He continued down the path before pausing suddenly and turning. His eyes locked with hers, and she drank in his mad visage before springing into action.
The manacles were gone, and she'd have to deal with whatever strength he'd gained in his three months of imprisonment if she wanted to live. He'd managed to arm himself too, brandishing someone else's blade — SOLDIER standard-issue, doubtlessly foisted from an Insurrectionist. To see it slotted with materia made her sick with fear.
"Well, Ms. Lockheart. How about a sparring match for old time's sake?" He murmured silkily, leering down upon her.
"It's Strife," Tifa spat, her insides burned for him having referenced that day in the mountains before he'd ruined her life. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her frightened.
The two circled one another. He had the advantage of reach with that sword despite it being far shorter than his own. She wouldn't underestimate Sephiroth's skill from one blade to another. Swordsmanship had been his forte. He thrusted towards her, and she'd only just barely managed to parry. He was far faster than he should have been from months of malnourishment. The alleyway suddenly felt suffocating. She craved space for movement.
She willed her magic into life. Runes of light rushed past her fingertips. Perhaps he'd like a taste his own favored fire, "Beta!" She roared pouring every ounce of herself into the spell. Fire fanned out towards him. He countered it with a wall spell.
Magic was no good now. She feinted for his right before trying to seize his left hand. I have to disarm him. The wild thought repeated itself as she struggled for the blade. She kneed him in the crouch and shoved an elbow into his nose. She was willing to do anything to stun him for a few moments to escape. She hadn't expected him to drop the sword and enclose his large hands around her throat. She clawed at his fingers as they pressed into her soft flesh. She struggled for breath until her arms fell limply at her sides. So, this was how it ended. Her eyes closed, and her mind trailed off into nothingness before she could feel his grasp lightening.
A/N: Long time, no update, right? Grad school is a killer, but thankfully I've graduated, and I can finally have some semblance of a life again. In this chapter, the Insurrection finally makes its appearance and wreaks havoc in Costa del Sol, allowing Sephiroth to escape in the process.
