Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.

Tifa wasn't quite sure how she felt about sharing a can of beans with a SHINRA Turk. "This… is yours." Reno said, plopping a spoonful of beans onto a metal plate they've scavenged from the old homes. There was still quite a bit of useful items that remained from the last time they stayed here. Handing the plate to Tifa, the red head scooped another generous amount and dropped it on another plate and gave it to Cloud, "This is yours," dropping back onto the sand, he stuffed his face with beans and sighed happily, "and this is mine." She didn't eat her share yet, glancing at Cloud to see him pick at his food and then take a small nibble.

Ever since he had told her to stay back to keep an eye on the Turk, he left and talked to Lightning about something. Then when he came back, he looked as if he had just seen a ghost. Not only that, Lightning retreated and kept herself secluded inside the old school that stood over the shores. Something clearly came up, and once again, she was left in the dark. "Shouldn't we save some for Light?" Tifa asked, stirring her beans with her spoon.

"She doesn't eat." The Turk responded with ease as if they've always been friends. They weren't. Never have been, and she doubts they ever will be.

Puffing her cheeks at his casual answer, Tifa sought to do the exact opposite. Pushing herself up from the sand where they had set up a bonfire, the fighter spun on her heel, "I'm going to see if she wants some."

"Tifa-" Cloud's starts. He looks as if he wants to say something but doesn't know how to start, "Just… be careful."

"Okay…" The fire crackled in the night, the water drifted in and out if the white beach, yet there was hardly a breeze in the air. Her feet sunk into the soft sand as she headed towards the old school. The wooden floors creaked as she stepped onto them causing her to wince at the sound. That definitely would have signaled her arrival. Biting her lip, Tifa continued forward stopping at the second level as she glanced up the stairs or to the door to her right. Grabbing the door knob, Tifa turned it, surprising herself when it actually clicked open. Peering inside, she could see many small desks and chairs lined inside. Lightning sat on the cubbies that lined the back of the room beneath a large horizontal window that spanned the whole backside of the building. Her back was rested on the perpendicular wall, one leg propped up with her arm resting on it while the other hung off the ledge. It was like she was staring out into the water and highway stretching above. The soldier remained still though and Tifa wasn't quite sure if Lightning was already asleep. Unlikely. "Are you hungry?" Setting the plate of beans on a table, Tifa pulled out the small chair and sat herself down, "I've got some beans, but that's all I have."

Just as she expected, Lightning opened her eyes and cast her a long look, "Why are you here?"

Tifa gave the food a slight nudge, "What do you think?"

Lightning held up her silence, the blue eyes searching her as if she thought the fighter was there for another reason. After a while, Lightning straightened herself up and brushed away all the folds and creases of her clothing. "I'm not hungry."

Taking the moment to look over Lightning dressed in the regular GC uniform, Tifa chuckled lightly and stood up herself as well, "That favor you owe me, I'd like to ask for it now."

"If you're going to ask me questions about-"

"Why would I ask you for something, like answers, if I'm going to get it later anyways?" Tifa hummed, "I'd like to ask how you teleported us here, but I think it'd be a waste of a favor. Besides, it probably some spell that only exists on Pulse and Cocoon." Smiling widely, Tifa leaned in and teased, "Remember when I cast mini on you and no one could cure it?"

Lightning scowled, "Then what do you want?"

Pursing her lips, Tifa walked up beside Lightning and stared out the window into the royal blue night. She rocked on her heels slightly, trying to plan out her thoughts and actions first. "The last time we were in Oerba… we were on the run from SHINRA and the PSICOM, but here we are again. This time, we're running from the Guardian Corps. I find it funny, ironic, and… a little sad."

"If it makes you feel better, I'm on the run. Not you."

"It doesn't make me feel better." Tifa laughed, "On the contrary, actually. It's part of my favor, so I'd like you to listen. Not too hard hm? We're not in a rush to get anywhere until tomorrow, and I'm not sleepy. Let's talk."

"Talk about what?" The amount of suspicion in Lightning's tone made her want to laugh.

"Well…" Tifa started, "You've been away for three years. How about we catch up? So-"

"I know." Lightning interrupted, leaning against where she had been sitting just moments ago, "You opened your own bar called Seventh Heaven, Cloud has his delivery service, and Barret is still the leader of AVALANCHE although I don't think politics suits him. Marlene and Denzel live with you now, enrolled in a nearby school and you pick them up before prepping for the night's business."

"You know?" Tifa asked, impressed at how precisely Lightning had listed off her facts.

"Of course I do." Lightning answered surely, and Tifa felt a rush of warmth at the woman's assurance. "Aerith likes to know how you're doing. I tell her, she relaxes, and doesn't complain about when she'll get to see you two again."

"The bar's doing great." Tifa hummed with pride, "I'm thinking of buying a dishwasher. The people there love my food and… it just feels great. I think you'll like Edge. It's a nice city."

"Edge huh?" Lightning mumbled, "I… never thought much of it."

"You should." The black haired woman insisted, "It could be your home in the future." Tifa wanted to blush, her heart pounded when the weight of her words dawned on her. "I mean, it's just-" Pursing her lips, she took a moment to compose herself, "It would be great if… one day, both you and Aerith could come back."

"Cloud didn't tell you."

There was a moment of silence where Lightning simply stood there and stared at her with an indiscernible expression. Thinking strangely of it, and remembering Cloud's reaction to her coming to speak with Lightning from before, she decided to ask about it. "Tell me what?"

"It's nothing." Lightning brushed her off when it was clear to Tifa that it wasn't nothing. "You're thinking too far ahead. You're also forgetting that I'm a fugitive now."

"Light, I don't know why you're doing all you're doing, and I know that you can make it sound all reasonable… You're quite persuasive." Glancing to Lightning, she watched as the other stared at her empty hands. Smiling gently, Tifa grasped her cold hands and moved to stand in front of Lightning, "We'll figure this out… slowly."

"Tifa, I'm not-" There were a thousand things Lightning could say, but at that moment, Tifa didn't hesitate and she didn't want to regret letting the pink-haired woman go now that they've finally reunited. Cloud was right, there was little she could do but to be happy knowing that Lightning's alive. She was like a thief, slipping in past the defenses to steal a kiss. Lightning's breath hitched, and she went rigid like a statue, but all Tifa could really notice was how soft her lips were.

She pulled back, tingling from the contact and further wrapped herself into Lightning's body as she rested her head onto her shoulder, "I-"

Sure, Tifa knew that she sometimes would surprise Lightning, but never before had the soldier ever reacted like she did. She pulled away as if they had just done something incredibly indecent, and moved with the speed that she was famous for, only to crash into the desks and chairs. The fighter winced at the loud clangs, reaching out to grab Lightning so that she wouldn't fall over. The other had recovered with a stumble. "You don't understand." Lightning immediately said in a rush, "Don't kiss me. Y-You don't want to kiss me. Just don't."

"Light, what are you…"

"There! That!" Lightning stood up straight, "It's not Light. It's Lightning. Don't call me Light."

Well… this wasn't the response Tifa was shooting for. Lightning's eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and all color on her face just drained in a blink of an eye. She should feel hurt, but if Lightning's rejection wasn't given in such a flustered state, Tifa probably would've felt so. "Lightning," Tifa said slowly, holding her hands up as if to signal she had no ill will, "Calm down."

"You don't go around kissing strangers! It's assault!" The pink haired woman continued to rant. It was highly rare to see Lightning so… incomposed.

"It was just a kiss, and you're not a stranger."

…

The chaos reacted violently; whispers exploded, hissing erratically in her ears to match that of the pace of her heart thrumming in her chest. In all honesty, Lightning want to swear, but her throat seized the moment she felt Tifa's lips brush against hers, and she could hardly stammer out her words afterwards without feeling mentally drained. If it had been anybody else, she would've punched them in the face before telling them to never do it again, but the fighter had just so easily knocked down her walls as if they were a child's sand castle while she was hastily trying to keep the sand from breaking. It was sand though, and Lightning watched pathetically as it just seeped through her fingers and thus set her off on this flustered rant. "Tifa, you don't know me." Lightning tried to convince the woman who seemed more concerned about her well-being than about the rejection Lightning was trying to give.

Although trying to find a way to communicate to Tifa properly was on the forefront of her mind, the growing black mist of chaos that was starting to accumulate in the back of the school didn't escape her attention. The souls of the dead were drawn towards her like an ever loyal pack of followers who wanted something that only she could give. Closing her eyes, Lightning swiftly took a chance to compose herself again and listened to the voices of the dead slowly fade away until the silence of the night could be heard. "Light, are you alright? I'm sorry if I surprised you."

"Why are you apologizing?" Lightning snapped, suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash through her. "Don't apologize if you've done nothing wrong."

"Well… seeing how you reacted, any normal person would think that they've done something wrong or offensive." Tifa retorted, "I understand that we haven't seen each other in three years and you might be uncomfortable with me."

She could feel the locks she has on her body and mind snap into place, and only when Lightning was absolutely certain that control was hers again did she open her eyes and looked at Tifa coolly. "Tifa, I've you told you before that I'm not who you think I am. I meant it, and in the most literal meaning. You don't know me, because… I'm not…" Running a hand through her hair, she glanced around at the chairs and sat herself in one, "Sit down." She ran through her thoughts, wondered how she would even begin to tell Tifa her story knowing that she'd have to repeat herself and tell Cloud later. Of course, she had entertained the idea of letting Tifa know that she was the one that killed Fang and Sazh, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that doing so would result in some sort of death battle. She watched Tifa lower herself onto the window seat, "Fang, Sazh, Vanille, and Dajh, they're not dead. Serah and Snow aren't dead." The look on confusion instantly swept over Tifa's features. "They're alive. Everyone is alive. Not in this realm, but…"

"Light… They're gone." Tifa started softly, "You need to accept-"

"No. The Fang, the Sazh, the whoever that you know is gone, but they're not dead. They're safe along with Aerith." Lightning continued, "The Lightning that you know is gone, and she's a part of me."

"Light…" The pink haired woman tensed upon seeing the tears begin to well in Tifa's eyes, "What did SHINRA do to you…?"

"What? No. They didn't do anything to me."

"But-"

"Just stop talking. Sit. And listen." Lightning ordered, "I'm… not human. I was a L'cie, then I beat my focus… then I became Etro's Knight, but then I lost and then I became Bhunivelze's Savior. I'm not a Guardian Corps Special Ops Agent, never was. That Lightning that you know, is and has always been a part of me." Tifa frowned, and it was hard to tell what she was thinking underneath the blatant look of confusion, "I'm Etro, the Goddess of Death. Do you understand?" Thinking better of it, Lightning shook her head and held up her hands to stop Tifa, "Wait, don't answer. What I'm trying to tell you is that there's the truth; that I'm fighting because I want to complete the last task Jihl gave me, but there's the truth behind that truth and that's… about… how I'm trying to stop Sephiroth from destroying the world. Either way, I've still got a vendetta against Sephiroth but that's beside the point. I'm fighting him for different reasons, and as two different people." Again, Tifa had that blank look and Lightning wanted to do nothing but to go up to her and shake her angrily while asking why she didn't understand. It's not like that would help her situation, but trying to explain everything that simply sounds ridiculous by word was a fool's errand. She had anticipated dealing with Tifa and Cloud would be akin to a nightmare, but this was worse than she expected. There were too many strings that were simply inseverable, and Lightning couldn't do much but go off of memories that weren't even hers. The Guardian Corps Lightning, or the Soul Fragment that Tifa affectionately calls 'Light' is someone of the past. The life that was shared with these heroes from another world replayed in Lightning's mind just like how an amnesiac would watch home-videos of themselves. She had the memories, but they weren't hers. "Actually, come with me." Lightning said, rising from her seat, "I'll tell you and Cloud at the same time."

There wasn't a squeak of protest and Tifa followed her out of the building and back towards the bonfire. Cloud was already giving her a weary look when she sat down and refused Reno's offer to open another can of beans. The blond man shimmied down the log he was sitting on and asked Tifa to sit beside him before the fighter could make her own choice.

"I'm here to tell you the truth." Lightning broke the silent tension, "I meant to show it to you because I know how ridiculous it sounds but beyond Taejin's Tower and deeper into the Pulsian wilds is Paddra and there's a gate there that leads to the Unseen Realm."

When no one responded, Reno seemed to take it upon himself to keep the conversation bilateral, "Right, and what's this Unseen Realm?"

Lightning groaned, "I'm trying to tell them."

"Well, it doesn't seem like they're up for conversation and you're making it confusing."

"It's not that easy."

"It was when you told us. You just dropped the bomb on us and told us that you're some thousand year-old Goddess who was just a human but became God's lackey, stabbed him in the back and took him down to take his place after he wanted everyone in the world to get amnesia, but he destroyed your big rock and so you merged two worlds together using your new crazy godly powers, but then the Lifestream ripped you a new one and your soul was torn to shreds and the Lightning that they know is just one of those shreds while you're the real deal?" Reno huffed in one go, "AAAAAnnnddd, you didn't tell them anything because you think explaining all of this to them is one huge pain in the ass, but just so you can keep up your end of your bargain with Rufus you're finally letting them in, and that Miss Cetra is in another realm with your sister who they think is dead; a realm which you call the Realm of the Dead or Unseen or whatever, but you didn't want to say it to their face cause we all know that's just gonna turn out just great." Reno finally turned to look at Tifa and Cloud, "It's actually a parallel world to this one that only Spark can enter and leave freely. Believe me, I thought she was crazy too."

She could hear a pin drop if it weren't for the sound of waves pulling back and forth and the cackles of the fire. Reno just had to go and, in his own words, drop the bomb. There was a certain level of effectiveness achieved allowing him to tell her story in such a callous manner, yet she probably wouldn't have minded if she could've somehow lessen the impact. It was impossible though, no matter how much she examined the issue, there was no way to tell them the truth in a kindly manner. "That's how it is." Lightning confirmed to hammer in the last nail.

"I-I need some space." Tifa mumbled, shakily easing herself up onto her feet before walking towards the shore.

Cloud remained seated though, eyes boring into Lightning in search of one simple answer that she could ease his contempt on, "Aerith is… safe. She's been there all this time?"

"Yes." Lightning answered him surely, "From the very beginning, I took her to the Unseen Realm where she stayed with my sister and brother-in-law. She hasn't come into any contact with SHINRA or anyone related to them other than me. She's the last Cetra, so I took her to keep her alive and well."

"She wouldn't have been safe here?"

"I didn't want to risk it. She's the only one that can summon Holy because of her lineage. I'm not going to let Sephiroth kill her. There's a war coming Cloud, and I'm making sure that I win."

He nodded, and chose to stare endlessly at the dancing fire, "I don't believe you." Cloud confessed, "I need proof."

"I have all the proof you need."

"How do I know that you're not taking us deeper into Pulse just to end us?"

"You said that you're not the one I need to convince. Is there a reason why I'd want to kill you?" Lightning asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

Cloud glanced at Reno, and the red haired man laughed, "What? No way. I've got no orders to 'end' anyone. I'm not complaining if they're a few more people around to help. Y'know, since Elena and Tseng are still missing, we're kinda short staffed."

"Who said I'm going to help?"

"Not a single forgiving bone in ya huh?" Reno snorted, "Well, we'll see what you'll be saying once we help save the world."

Choosing not to partake in the conversation, Lightning look towards the sea and watched Tifa stand by the shore. The fighter had her shoes off and held loosely in her hands while her feet sunk into the wet sand as the water glided around her ankle. A part of her argued that she shouldn't go to her, but she still did.

And... here's the next chapter. Haaaa... school starts tomorrow... Sadly, you can expect updates to slow. I've been posting about one chapter every two days recently, but it'll most likely to slow to about a chapter per week or two weeks soon.

Thanks for reading!