Chapter 6: Falling Star (Part 3)
It was the day everything changed. She remembered the stale air, the way the grey in her world seeped into her empty soul. It wasn't always empty, but those youthful days were lost. She could never go back, she could never change what had naturally happened over time. When the kids left for school and Cloud finally awoke from his slumber she would have never predicted that her slate grey existence would burn into nothing but ash.
He came down the stairs half clothed, making sure to leave his room only when the children had left. She assumed he was expecting breakfast, or lunch to be more accurate. But she didn't have time for that. She needed to get things ready for opening the bar in a couple hours. She remembered she was cleaning the dishes then, not wanting to use the dishwasher even though it wasn't even broken. The simple act of cleaning brought peace to her for some reason, she assumed it was a need for control. A need to wash away the invisible blood that was on her hands. She had forgiven herself for the lives taken a long time ago, but quiet moments like these brought the ghosts back to her and it took some physical effort to not get carried away by their haunting sadness. She wondered if Cloud thought of them too.
"Tifa." When she heard her name it felt away from her, even though he was actually right behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. She tensed under his hands. What was soft and calming quickly turned into a firm grasp. She tried to turn around but he held her tight. "Will you relax?"
"What do you want Cloud?" Her voice was agitated she knew, because what was pressed against her was all too obvious. She pulled at his forearms, trying to loosen his hold, but he only held her even more. Kissing her neck, she stilled under the affection, not wanting to give him any reassurance. She felt his bare chest press against her, and his fingers tenderly caress her bare arms. He was loving when he wanted to be, but only if he got what he wanted. Forcefully she said, "Are you done?"
"Why are you such a bitch in the morning?" She hated it when he swore. She never grew up in a house that did, and she didn't want to live in one that did either.
"It's already past noon." She haughtily replied. Not taking no for an answer he lowered his hand to pull at her skirt and reactively she jabbed his arm with her elbow with enough force that she could twist herself free. Taking large steps back, she saw his face, dark bags underneath his eyes. His skin looked deathly in the light, his cheeks sunken and his face drunk with the desire to fulfill his carnal needs. She put her fists up instinctively.
"So you want to fight now?"
"I have a better idea." She countered. "Why don't you service yourself and I'll get groceries."
He scoffed. "What good are you?"
She shuffled back as he stepped towards her, closing the gap that she had worked so hard to gain. His words cut into her more than any sword on Gaia. The realization was too much for her to swallow. They were no longer in love, they were nothing but a dark reflection of their happier selves. What was once a bright full moon was a nothing but a lunar eclipse. The light between them was gone, replaced by a black hole that took all of Tifa's will not to get sucked in.
She screamed in his face. "I am worth more than you would ever deserve!"
Taking one of the liquor bottles from the display and charging towards the cash till on the counter she typed in her code and pulled out the money that was left inside. She threw it at him, "Here! Is this what you want!?"
"The fuck is wrong with you?" His face was surprised at her outburst, seeing for the first time her composure being thrown out the window. She was his rock. She always complied. She was his.
"Or is it this!?" She smashed the liquor bottle onto the floor, the glass shattering everywhere. Circling around him to get to more bottles. "This is what you want isn't it? Drink your life away, don't think I haven't seen the bottles in your room."
"I told you to stay out of it-"
"How can I when it always stinks?!" He launched to her then, grasping the hand that was about to throw another bottle at him. She struggled to break free, his grip tight upon her arms. Spitting in his face, it was enough to make him let go.
Rubbing the spit from his eyes, he glared at her, the muscles in his arms tensing as his anger began to fester. If she wasn't so busy glaring back at him she would have seen his arm creep along his leg. "You're not my mother."
"Then stop acting like a child." She gritted her teeth. "Or find someone else who'd want to take care of you."
It was quick. Her cold grey world was instantly set ablaze. Cloud had pulled a Materia out of his pocket, firing a blast in her direction that not only marked his first act of violence towards her, but was also the spark to the fire that ate away at the liquor upon the floor. They fought then, throwing chairs and tables at each other but unable knock the other out. It was when the smoke became too much, burning up all the oxygen in the bar that they decided to retreat, avoiding suffocation. Tifa escaped through the front doorway while Cloud had jumped out one of the windows. It was the neighbors that saved them, curing them of their burns and bringing them to the hospital. Tifa hadn't remembered much because she had fallen unconscious once she hit the ground. But when she had finally woken up, Marlene had told her Cloud was still sleeping and Denzel was watching over him. Barret had broke the news right away, not offering any condolences. "Ya gotta keep your shit together Tifa. The hell is going on between you two?"
"Just take the kids and go. Please Barret, I just need time to settle things with Cloud." Her bar, their home, was for the most part completely destroyed. And finally after Marlene and Barret had gone to let her rest, she cried. Not only because of what she had lost, but also for the joy of finally taking her self-worth back. She... Tifa Lockhart... Was no longer his.
Tifa looked at Zack, the dark wing tearing through his clothes like a hidden limb. The dark Chaos formed around him and Hades was giddy with delight. The turn was so quick that it reminded her of Cloud, how he had been her knight in shining armour in one moment and then her abuser the next. This young man, his desire for glory, was his undoing.
Applauding happily, Hades smiled, "Now let's get this party started! COME CERBERUS! COME 'ERE BOY!" The pounding footfalls thundered in the air, shaking the ground with a quake. Black fur emerged from the shadows, passing the gate that had been left wide open. Hercules stood up as the beast began to sprint, pulling at Zack's arm to get him out of its way. Cerberus bit at Zack's legs, and they just barely pulled out in time for it to miss. Tifa moved forward, running in as the boys retreated. She shifted her foot just slightly, spinning like a top to catch a spark along the ground with her metal guard and forcing her chi outward with her hands, she blinded the Cerberus temporarily with the tiny flare. "Hercules!"
"Tifa just give me a second!" It was then that Hercules pushed Zack face forward into the ground. He yanked at the dark wing that birthed on his back and snapped it half with all of his godly strength. Zack's screams where agonizing, merging with cries of the lost souls that they blended completely. Hercules threw the wing away, falling near to Hades.
Hades laughed. "Do you think that's enough?"
Zack pushed himself up off the ground, kicking at Hercules who was forced to back away. What was left of Zack's dark wing stretched out, slowly being repaired as the Chaos formulated around his broken wing. "Get out of my way." Zack ran past Hercules and Tifa, jumping at Cerberus that had already regained his bearings. Taking his sword, he cut away at one of its three slobbering faces but missed every single time. A paw swung out, slapping him back along the arena floor.
"I can't have you turning only halfway. Embrace the darkness Zack- get revenge on Hercules." Hades pointed Cerberus towards him. "Go get him! Fetch!"
Taking Hades' command, Zack ran up to Hercules and held him down at the waist. Cerberus was already charging towards them, tongue lolling as it aimed for its next meal. Tifa and Moe darted towards them as well, hoping to get Hercules out of the way. But while Tifa was successful for pulling Zack off of him, Hercules and Moe were taken by its jaws. It sucked them into its mouth, and tried to chew before a bright spark erupted from its teeth. Cerberus spit out the large shell of light, with Hercules stuck inside like a yoke within a clear shell. Moe had transformed from the magical barrier back into his moogle self the moment they had hit the ground. Pulling out of Tifa's grasp, Zack charged again at Hercules. Luckily she pulled at his regenerated wing, holding him down by the tip. "Zack don't do this! This isn't you! You're a hero!"
"What?" Hades cracked his jaw in surprise.
She cried, "In your past life- the one you always see when you close your eyes. The man with the spiky blond hair. Cloud! His name was Cloud!" It was then that Lightning stepped out from one of the gates, revealing herself from the shadows that Cerberus had dropped behind him. Hercules was fending off the attacks from Cerberus while Tifa was trying to talk some sense into Zack. He clocked one of the three heads in the side of the cheek, dislocating its jaw and popping a few of its teeth. The head fell, defeated at the stellar knockout. Two more heads were left.
"You saved him!" Tifa continued. "I know because-because he told me. He told me your last words. You told him to be his living legacy! You gave him the hope that he could be a hero too!"
"Living Legacy." Zack repeated. The words vibrated inside him, stuttering his darkened aura to his usual bright blue self. One of Cerberus's heads neared him then, smelling his scent that fluctuated from something tantalizing to disgusting. Taking Zack's distraction as an opportunity, Cerberus pawed, aiming to step on him from above in an attempt to squash him.
"Zack!"
Suddenly something shimmered inside Zack's chest, and the faint shine of white light pierced the darkness of the Chaos that enveloped him. He lifted his sword up at the last moment, slashing at Cerberus's paw before it could crush him. Tumbling to the side, his energy turned back to normal and whatever power he had left he used to attack Cerberus, cutting one of its faces in a multitude of swings that left it hanging, completely dead. A faint silhouette of Zack's past self appeared against him, older and stronger, the vision of his Buster Sword held against his steel one.
"No- Not that easy!" Hades threw his arms out, ready to heal his beast.
"I don't think so!" Tifa pulled out the pomegranate fruit from out of Lightning's pouch, throwing it towards Cerberus's last working head who fetched it greedily. Faintly a snap of fingers could be heard, and Tifa glanced ahead of Cerberus, seeing Lightning standing back along the stands. Lightning smiled at her softly, hiding it quickly as she pushed her shades up along the bridge of her nose.
"WHAT!?" Hades screamed as Cerberus' last head fell, flopping onto the arena floor with a thud. Sticking out of its skull was the tip of a crimson blade, gleaming brightly against its black fur. The lost souls continued to chant their anthem, the dull click of the gates turning as the entries were forever closed. Cerberus's body started to disintegrate into a mix of black and blue mist, fading into the stale air and leaving the crimson blade to fall onto the arena floor with a clatter. Hades neared the blade, "What is this? That's cheating! That is a god's sword, Grams' sword! The rules explicitly say that all weapons must the signed in before the fight."
"It does, and you yourself signed it in." Lightning neared the trio, picking up the crimson sword that lay ominously. Holding it in her hand it instantly glowed and returned back into its former state. She handed the fruit back to Tifa who took it with surprise. "And it's not mine any more, it's hers. I gave it to her a long time ago."
Hades gritted his teeth at the realization that he had been fooled. Waving his arms reluctantly a third exit appeared, a black hole that Tifa had similarly teleported through appeared against the arena stands. Lightning directed Tifa and Hercules to go through first with Moe following swiftly after them. Zack, who had now regained his composure, no longer bearing the mark of darkness along his back turned to speak to Hades. "I suppose I have you to thank, giving me the opportunity to bargain for my freedom."
"The price is paid... for now." Hades squinted at him, "We'll see each other again."
Zack nodded, firmly he stepped through the portal without looking back. The chanting faded into a soft hymn, a verse of hope to honour his success could be heard before Hades promptly yelled for them to shut up.
"Did you expect that?" Lightning asked, watching Hades lift his hands in defeat.
"I should have posed it in a different way." He tapped his chin with his finger, "I was hoping Tifa's words would push him over the edge, reinforce his loses, not encourage him to find his light."
"Cloud... is his light." Lightning hummed as she turned towards the black gate. "I'll give you this though, even I didn't look that far into his past."
"Next time we'll know better."Hades offered out his hand, and Lightning turned to look at him questioningly.
"What is it?"
"I honoured my promise, can't I get a handshake?" Lightning gave her hand to him. Hades eyes turned a bright blue, simmering with excitement. "Before you hit the road- is it true? Word in the wind says that you're thinking of retiring."
"Where'd you hear that?"
"Doesn't matter where I heard it." His grip tightened. "Is it true?"
"Wouldn't that be nice?"
"It'd be the icing on the cake!" Hades shook her hand briskly, laughing by himself. "The things I could do while you're out of the way- Think of the Chaos! It'd be the ultimate rave! "
Lightning yanked back her hand, shaking her head at Hades. She turned to leave, one foot in the portal, "There's still many lights to be born so I wouldn't pull the drinks out just yet."
He smiled and waved his hand at her, undeterred from the fact. "Sparks don't scare me, just don't go falling in love and I'll bring the dessert for the retirement party. You don't mind roaches right?" Lightning threw him a bird as she crossed the gate, knowing full well that Hades was probably clutching his stomach as he laughed himself to death.
A young girl with blue hair and green eyes greeted them, her white skin ghostly against her tribal clothing. They had landed in the garden of the Underworld, dead spirits in black hooded rags shuffled along as they tended to the flowers and trees. The Desert Rose, Tifa could see, was blooming not too far off from where they were standing. Zack and Hercules were looking at a naked tree that trunk was at least more than an arm's length. The blue haired girl stepped forward. One of the hooded spirits followed a step behind, holding a bundle of Desert Roses in its arms. It was when Lightning appeared through the portal that the young girl decided to speak. "Congratulations."
The hooded spirit handed out a single desert rose to Zack, Hercules and Tifa respectively. It lingered near Tifa a little longer than the others, before it shied away once Lightning came closer. It's hands, Tifa noticed, were wrinkly and old and she was certain one of the fingers was cut in half. She wondered at its curiosity. With the wave of her hand, the blue haired girl opened another portal, this one bright white like the ones Tifa had been travelling through. She looked at Hercules and Tifa, "The living can go."
"What about me?" Zack asked.
Hercules stepped closer beside him. "I won't leave without him."
"His path is set. You cannot go with him."
"Yuel."
Lightning said her name, and her eyes locked on Lightning before she looked back at them, reaffirming her resolve. Her face softened as she pointed up with her index finger, the sadness not lost in her eyes. "It's time to say goodbye."
"Brother." Hercules turned to Zack as he started to glow, a pale green light emerging from the ground and tunneling up around him. White down feathers appeared in the green light, whatever was coming for Zack would be there soon. "Forgive me, I should have done more. I didn't know what to do. If I-"
"Herc, don't kill yourself over this." Zack smiled, the scars on his face curving handsomely. "You helped me get out of here. Now I have a chance, maybe even reach a new goal, right Tifa?"
"Right." She gave him her widest smile. "Wait. A new goal?"
"How about a date?" Tifa blushed, her ears turning red as they burned. Hercules shifted away sheepishly while Lightning and Moe just stayed still.
"Get going muscles." Tifa shoved his left shoulder, earning a small chuckle. He pulled her in for a hug and then gave Hercules one too before he looked up and reached his hand out towards something invisible. The white feathers that had fallen began to fade as the pale green tunnel closed from the top, swallowing Zack up unto the sky. Tifa waved goodbye as he disappeared, catching Hercules wiping his eyes at the last second.
Softly, like a whisper, "Go the distance."
Hercules waved goodbye to Tifa and bowed to Lightning. "Thank you. For everything. I'm happy knowing my brother is finally resting in peace. If you ever need me, I'll be happy to help in any way." Entering the white gate that Yuel opened, his amber hair glowed before he finally disappeared.
Once the two left, Yuel turned to the naked tree. Something started to grow along its branch, enfolding from a white bud and turning into a purple-blue apple. A single Banora White. Reaching out to pluck it down, Yuel offered it to Tifa. "Why did it?"
"Whenever a soul leaves this place, the tree bears a fruit." Yuel nodded, "To new beginnings, a rebirth into the cycle of life."
"Oh." Tifa pursed her lips as she took the item.
"Let's get going Tifa, I'm sure Yuel would like to get back to work." Lightning moved to the portal, raising her hand to acknowledge Yuel just before shifting it towards Tifa. Putting her hand in hers, Tifa was yanked back into the world of the living. But as she looked back at the garden, the one lone spirit with the Desert Rose Bouquet was waving goodbye, the blue petals falling softly.
They arrived at the Cave of Wonders, the tiger head still yawning in the morning sunrise. Tifa pulled her robes closer to herself, aware of the hot winds that were blowing sand in small cyclones around them. Moe plopped himself on top of her head, sighing in relief at finally taking in some fresh air. He complained, "Let's not do that again!"
"Kupo-kupo." Misa appeared then, transforming back from the small buckle on Lightning's belt. She had been hiding as an accessory this whole time. Lightning however, had pulled something from her pocket and placed it at her teeth. Instantly in a flash of light, the crimson uniform that Lightning had been wearing changed back into the white coated one from before, the long red cape draping into the winds.
Tifa smiled, one of her eyebrows quirking, "What was that?"
Lightning showed her the leaves in her hands, "The tree back home, every weapon and armour that I have has been transformed. Anybody that's looking for some power won't be able to find it even though it's right in front of their faces."
"Clever." Tifa smirked. "And yet you couldn't hide the elixirs well enough?"
"They're meant to be helpful, not a possible threat." Lightning turned to make her way towards the Cave of Wonders. Tifa grasped her forearm then, stopping her in her tracks.
"Better if you don't." She continued, showing the rose to Lightning, "Let's go find Aladdin."
"What are you supposed to do with that?"
"I think..." Tifa faltered, thinking back onto Aurora's premonition. "I was supposed to find it, that's all. I have a few things to say to him anyways, then I'll decide to give him the rose."
Lightning nodded, marching her way back to Agrabah with Tifa right beside her.
"What do you want street rat?" One of the large guards by the Palace gate was giving Aladdin and Abu a hard time before Tifa and Lightning finally found him.
"Just let me talk to the princess!" They shoved him around, his small red hat tipping off his head.
"Stop!" Tifa shouted.
"Tifa!" He cried upon seeing her face. "You're alright!"
"Of course, Lightning helped me." She pulled out the rose from between her robes, the petals shinning like sapphires in the blistering sunlight. "I got it."
"Amazing!" He turned to the guards, pointing their attention to the blue rose. "Look see- The Desert Rose. The Princess has to see this!"
The large guard stared the three of them down, taking his time before finally relenting. "Open the gates!" The gold doors were pulled back manually by the other guards, revealing a long walkway that lead right towards the palace. Fountains covered the grounds and wild birds were feeding near the tropical plants that were flourishing at the entrance. A woman in a blue was standing in the middle, watching them as they approached.
"Jasmine!" As he ran to her, a large striped beast appeared, growling at him. "Whoa, come on Raja, I'm not doing anything."
"Why are you here?" She put a hand on Raja, forcing him to relax and retract it's claws.
"Here, here." He ran behind Tifa and pushed her forward, a blue petal falling in the movement, "The Desert Rose, we found it."
Tifa handed it out to Jasmine, who took it slowly within her fingertips, careful not to prick herself on the thorns. Turning to an unearthed patch in the gardens, she placed the Desert Rose into the ground and brushed the soil along its stem until it stood upright. Whatever power the Desert Rose had, showed itself as it rooted itself into the ground, turning the earth black in a closed circle around itself. It grew into a small bush, the new roses appearing as small buds not yet willing to bloom.
"Wow..." Tifa said as Jasmine and Aladdin gasped as it took to the soil.
"What did you need the rose for?" Lightning asked, curious if the rose had any more magical properties.
Aladdin laughed and started to sweat, "It was just for a gift."
Jasmine however twirled her hair over her shoulder and began to leave with Raja, "I told him if he could find the Desert Rose and bring it back here, then I'd forgive him for what he did. It was meant to be an impossible challenge."
Tifa squinted at Aladdin. "What did you do?"
"It was a misunderstanding," He raised his hands up high in defence, "I was just talking with that dancer, we didn't do-" He could barely finish his sentence before Tifa reached out and punched him in the gut. He fell to the ground while Abu pointed and laughed at him.
Lightning watched as Tifa went to the rose bush and plucked one of the youngest buds , stashing it away in her small pouch. She explained herself before Lightning could ask, "I didn't go through hell just to get nothing out of it."
Lightning only shook her head and shrugged, "Whatever you want Tifa."
"Which reminds me," Tifa nudged Aladdin with her toe, as he was still laying on the ground, "Now that I got you in your girlfriend's good graces, I think it's time you pay up."
"I don't have much money." He looked up at her worried. "All I have is Abu and- ohh."
Tifa hooted, "This is the best!"
They were flying in the clouds, racing with the birds as they soared without any destination in mind. Tifa clutched the edges of Magic Carpet as it flew them across the sand dunes and out to uncharted lands. The breeze was cool and sharp, and the sky was endless. It was still bright out and she could see the sun turning to rest along the western skies, blending with the clouds into a mix of orange and red that she had never seen before. This was the highlight of her journey so far, and she screamed out in joy as Magic Carpet looped into the clouds, completely ignoring the terrified pitches of the moogles beside her. Lightning patted Misa's head as she gripped onto her belly. Moe also wasn't fairing too well as he could barely hold onto Tifa's back. Lightning took Moe in her grasp, holding the two together as they squirmed in her embrace. "What's wrong with you two? You can both fly."
Moe looked up at her, "We haven't flown up this high kupo-"
"Yeah and you haven't thrown us that high either." Misa added.
"Maybe we should go lower?" Tifa turned her head back, joining in on the conversation.
"No. They'll get used to it." Lightning squished her moogle children tightly before she asked, "So what now? We got the Desert Rose but we didn't get your memories. Was Aurora right after all?"
Tifa hummed. "Actually..." She reached into her shirt, pulling the small parchment that Moe had made for her and said, "I think... the point of coming here was for this."
"What is it?"
"It's the day I lost my bar, Seventh Heaven. Cloud and I fought that day, and things got escalated." Tifa pressed the parchment against her chest. "Maybe it was my fault. Hades said that I have a tendency to keep things to myself."
"Hades says a lot of things."
"But it was true. There were so many other ways I could have helped him, like I helped Zack."
Lightning shook her head. "No matter what you say, it's up to them to save themselves. Zack was always a pure light to begin with, and even if he was tainted at some point it was up to him to fight through it. Not you."
Tifa closed her eyes taking in Lightning's words. Her shoulder's lowered, no longer tense with her worries. "I did try. I'll give myself that. That day, even though I lost the bar- I don't regret fighting back against Cloud that day. If I didn't I probably would have turned dark eventually."
"I'm glad you didn't." Lightning clarified. "Turn dark that is."
Tifa smiled at her, "I may not have made a difference to Cloud, but I made a difference for me. Hades may be right, but I felt the choices I made back then were the right ones. I'll stand by that no matter what." She squinted once a bright light appeared at her chest, the parchment turning into an orb in her hand. It absorbed into her chest naturally, like it was being called back to its rightful home.
Lighting smiled back, "Guess you figured it out."
"Guess so." Tifa lowered her hand, realizing now what Aurora had meant for her to do. "Off to Neverland then, to find my parents."
"Wait." Lightning asked Magic Carpet to go higher, lifting them up another hundred feet. Tifa looked at her curiously and yelped the moment Lightning purposely tipped Magic Carpet, slipping herself off until she fell head first towards the ground. The moogles were still in her arms, their screaming kupos fading as they dropped in a downward spiral.
"What are you doing!?" Tifa gripped Magic Carpet who was still tunnelling upwards, forcing it with all her might to circle back as quick as possible without falling off herself.
Lightning fell along the skies, breathing calmly as she and the moogles passed all the floating clouds that were travelling along their way. She was never afraid of heights, and she wanted to make sure the moogles weren't either before she had to go. Moe was still screaming with his eyes closed but Misa was watching the ground appear closer and closer, probably thinking that she could teleport her way to a safe spot, as long as she could find one.
"Moogles."
"Kupo?" Misa asked as she looked at Lightning, catching Moe's attention briefly from his fear.
"When I'm gone, I want you both to keep living." She smiled, a bright one reserved just for them. "Face all your fears." They blinked at her as she began to laugh, letting them go so that they can stretch out their wings. They lofted in the air, watching as Lightning continued to fall.
"Wait! Kupo!" Realizing that she had left them behind, Misa and Moe quickly spiralled after her. She was already seconds away from the ground and if they didn't get her in time, there'd be nothing but a big mess to clean up. Moe yelled. "Lightning! We'll catch you!"
"Light!" It was Tifa that caught her, pressing Magic Carpet to go faster and grabbing Lightning before she could crash land into the rocky mountains. Holding her in her arms, "Are you nuts? You could have died!"
Lightning pushed herself away from Tifa, sitting herself along the space she held before. Moving her hair aside that had ruffled in the fall, "Now that was fun."
"Why you!" Tifa punched Lightning in the shoulder, effectively earning on 'Ow'. The moogles were quick to catch up to them, now hovering nearby. Moe wiped his head in relief while Misa thanked Magic Carpet with a tap. Lightning however was no longer laughing, instead she wore a confused look on her face. She asked, "What is it?"
"I think you dislocated my shoulder." Lightning put her left hand to it, holding it tightly. Tifa tried to reach out to help her but Lightning shifted away. "Don't."
"I didn't mean it. I swear I just-"
Lightheartedly. "Sure. If this is how you treat your friends then I wonder how you treat your lovers."
Blushing red with indignation. "Well what kind of fool jumps off a flying carpet!?"
"An immortal fool. Besides, I knew one of you would get me." Lightning answered, still shifting away from Tifa as she tried to help her pop her shoulder back in. "Get away, you'll make it worse."
"Please," Tifa ignored her completely, gripping her arm. "You can't do it by yourself."
Swiftly Lightning hardened her jaw as she pushed her arm back in place as well as healing it at the same time. Moving her fingers slightly to test the pain, she showed Tifa that everything was back in place. "See? Better."
Tifa sighed and pulled Moe close to herself as Misa sat back with Lightning. They turned Magic Carpet around, back towards Agrabah, wanting to return before nightfall. Reflecting on her thoughts, Tifa decided to speak up, but wasn't brave enough to look Lightning in the eyes. So cowardly she faced forward, watching the mountain range turn back into sand dunes. "Did you accomplish... whatever it was you left for?"
Lightning noticed her aura change then. For a brief moment Tifa reminded her of Vanille, one second pure and innocent while on a magic carpet ride to a serious priestess listening to the voices of dead souls. "Not really, no."
"I hope..." Tifa looked back at her then, "... you're not doing anything too naughty."
"Why? Need a reason to break my other arm too?"
"If you're being stupid yes." Tifa answered raising her hand to her ear, putting a few strands of hair back in place. Shivers ran up her spine then, knowing that Lightning was watching her every move.
"Did you ever notice you do that when you're nervous?"
"I do?"
"You do." Lightning flicked the back of Tifa's head with her fingers, "Hey, pay attention. You missed our landing." Turning around again, Tifa flew back into the city. They didn't say much after that. Tifa knew that Lightning would only avoid her questions with more questions, circling her focus until she forgot whatever it was she was trying to figure out. Lightning's avoidance made her even more suspicious, but instead of becoming angry, Tifa silently watched Lightning- taking in the shifts in her energy. Ever since she came back it felt... colder than usual, but warm at the same time. She was still fighting something but was too stubborn to talk about it. When Moe opened the portal to the next world, they entered the gate together, and that's when she saw something shinning along Lightning's neck that wasn't there before. It was tucked quietly along her brown turtleneck, but before she could get a closer look at it the light had enveloped them both, blinding her from whatever it was she thought she saw.
In Chapter 7: Tifa and Lightning arrive in Neverland, encountering pirates, crocodiles, and a tribe of lost boys that serve their troublesome pink-haired leader, Lumina. Will Tifa finally get her memories back once and for all? Until next time!