Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.

The bottom rim of the glass container rolled against the cold steel of the table in circles. Her brown eyes watch the chocolate powder shift within like quick sand. It's the same kind that Lightning had given Marlene, so now she knew where the pink haired woman had gotten it. The air is fresh, there's a breeze, and for once she can feel the sunlight warming her skin. Lightning had forced her to wear more clothing, saying that her skirt and shirt weren't going to help her beneath or above the plate.

First and foremost, she had made a mention to Corneo, the one running the 'whore's nest' in the red light district. 'Best not to draw anymore more of his attention,' Tifa paraphrased in her mind as Lightning had taken the effort to say it extra bluntly at her expense. For some reason, Tifa felt she was going to be seeing and hearing much more about him. Secondly, it was obvious that clothes from the slums weren't going to fit in above the plate. Here she was, sitting at a high-end cafe people watching. "So this is what you've been doing?" Tifa mutters.

"Look at this place." Lightning states rather loudly, "Quite different from the slums."

Before Tifa could even retort, she's interrupted. "The slums?" A woman suddenly speaks out from behind Tifa, "You mean that rat infested sewer dump? You're clearly not from around here are you?"

The pink haired woman crosses her arms and leans back on her seat, "I'm clearly not." She answers easily, imitating the same mocking tone the other woman had used before she shrugs, "Tourists."

Shifting on her seat, Tifa turned to stare straight into a rounded muffin top wrapped in bright red before she trailed her eyes up to see a woman permed to the point where there was more volume in her hair than in her already oversized gut. Numerous rings adorned her chubby fingers and her thick neck looked as if it was being strangled with strings of diamonds. "From Pulse? Or Cocoon?" The woman sneers, staring down her nose at Lightning, "I'm surprised your kind would even dare come to Midgar let alone the slums. Let me tell you something. There's nothing but drug addicts and whores down there. All they know is to beg for money without knowing the definition of hard work. Bad parents make for bad children. That place is littered with bastard children and who knows what kind of disease they carry. Go down there and there's no coming back but I'm sure your kind is familiar with that sentiment."

"Really." Lightning breathes and her eyes narrow on Tifa, azure blue clashing with ruby brown eyes.

"Have... you actually been down there?" Tifa asked slowly, her voice quivering with anger as she hid her white fists underneath the table. Why was Lightning forcing her to listen to this? Why had she brought her here? So she can be put in place?

"Down there?" The woman laughs, "With those parasites?" It instant, Tifa stormed from her seat glaring fiercely at the woman. The only thing that stopped her from punching her was Lightning's firm grip in her wrist. "What?" The woman asks, taken aback by her outburst as she looked Tifa up and down.

"You-"

"There's no point wasting your time there unless you're fond of pests. That's were you go to get sick." With another look at Tifa, the woman turned away walking down the street.

"Why did you bring me here?" Tifa hissed, glaring up at the pink haired woman, "You think I needed to hear that?"

"Tifa-"

"Just stop it!' Yanking her hand away from Lightning, she stormed back towards the train station. She was foolish to come in the first place thinking that Lightning would actually let her in. It was ridiculous, being brought here to be mocked. She didn't need to know how these people thought of them, or how they thought of her. It didn't matter. These people are the ones blinded to the truth. They were the ones who didn't know what a hard day's worth of work is. Secluding herself in the back corner of the rear car on the train, she only glared out the window and found the blue sky irritable. There was a shift in front of her and her eyes darted towards it with murderous intent regardless of who it was, and when she only saw Lightning, she nearly lost it. "What do you want?"

"You wear your emotions on your sleeves."

"What?"

"I said you're too emotional."

"I know what that means." Tifa hissed. "What's your problem? Or are you just out to make me miserable? I'm sick of you, I'm sick of people just like you, just like that woman who think they're so great. Why are you so wrapped up in your own little world that you're blinded to everything else? That I am, that the people in the slums are people, that we have feelings?! We're not rats, we're not parasites! But you know what? I don't expect you to understand. You probably had everything handed to you, had everything easy. What? Did your parents baby you so much that you can't see the world as it really is? You-" She had barely caught a dangerous flash of blue before Lightning was leaning over her, slamming a hand right beside Tifa's face as her eyes flared. The glare was so cold that she would have thought hell had frozen over and she could feel goosebumps prickle on her skin. Her body tensed in her fight or flight reaction yet her body felt chained and heavy.

"You don't know anything about me." Lightning growled.

Swallowing thickly, she couldn't pull her eyes away from Lightning's before she finally found her voice, "I don't. Just as you don't know anything about me."

The pink haired woman snorts before she pulls away just as abruptly, and instantly, Tifa could breath again. Dropping back onto the seat, the deathly blue eyed glare never left her for a moment, "Tifa Lockhart. Born May 3rd, 1987 in Nibelheim. Your mother died when you were four. 1999, you became a student under Zangan, taking martial arts lessons. At age 15, September 21, 2001 you worked as a tour guide and led First Class SOLDIER Sephiroth and Zack Fair, from Shinra, up to the Mako Reactor. October 1st." Lightning breathes, "I'm sure you remember. First Class Defection."

"How..."

"Nibelheim is razed to the ground by Shinra to hide their internal problems and builds a replica village with hired actors to play their part as the regular citizen, but you remember, of course, one of the two survivors from the whole ordeal. It's also the date of your father's death. You were brought away by Zangan to Midgar, eventually finding your new home with Barret Wallace and AVALANCHE."

"How... do you know?"

"I know about you, about everyone in AVALANCHE. I know why you fight." Resting her arms under her bust, the soldier crosses her legs and finally turns her eyes out the window, watching as the train passes the plate and heads back down below. "I've done my research on Shinra and on you. I admit I had difficulty tracking Zangan down and it wasn't part of my mission, but any knowledge on you and your friends will help me in the long-run."

"Who are you?"

"I'm a soldier." Lightning responds easily and leaves it at that. Tifa stares at the pink haired woman, eyes cold as if she possessed no emotions and hesitates to think that she's staring at someone that's human. "That woman," she starts again referring to the one they encountered above the plate, "her husband is a Shinra official. Obviously not as powerful as the ones you're used to hearing about; Scarlet, Heidegger, Palmer and Reeves, but he still has his influence. A pure Shinra loyalist and those are the people you are fighting against. Not the corporation but the people who keep it going. He ironically visits the slums frequently without his wife knowing and when you think about it, there's an obvious answer. Prostitutes. He's in contact with Corneo; the ears and eyes of Shinra in the slums." Nodding stiffly, Tifa turned her gaze out the window as well, but found herself looking more at Lightning's reflection than anything else. She hid a flinch when the soldier's eyes flickered into focus meeting her indirect stare, "He'll also be our scapegoat."

"Scapegoat?"

The soldier nodded, "First we'll have to deal with Corneo; take out Shinra's dog in the slums."

They listened to the horn of the train sound before it came rolling to a stop. Lightning stood up and Tifa followed closely as the pink haired woman moved through the slums with a familiarity of an actual resident and headed straight towards the red light district. Glancing around, Tifa moved closer to the soldier having always found this area uncomfortable. Ignoring the hungry eyes of men that lingered on them, Tifa turned away from the women who stood off to the side as their eyes drifted in search for possible customers. They were dressed skimply, some were even shamefully plastering themselves against the men who hooted and hollered, drunk with alcohol and sex.

Yet Lightning remained as stoic as ever, as if she couldn't see any of it. Turning the corner, Lightning stepped into a darkened alleyway which any normal person wouldn't think twice of entering. Tifa hesitated, looked back and unfortunately met some eyes of the men ogling and grinning perversely at her. She jogged after Lightning, making sure to remain close. "Where are we going?"

Lightning glanced back at her but kept moving without a word until they reached the end. To her surprise, they stood on a small perch overlooking the brothel, watching as men walked in and out of the place with one, sometimes two women hanging around their arms. "Past this is-"

"Corneo's mansion." Tifa whispered turning her eyes away from the entrance, unable to look anymore. It wasn't a secret that Corneo had ties with Shinra; news that Tifa could've told Lightning but the soldier doesn't stop.

"I've managed to hack into his computer and some of Shinra's databases." Lightning pulled out her phone, scrolling through several screens before enlarging it for the fighter to see. What she saw almost made her heart drop. Photos. Photos of everyone including herself and even Marlene as they lived their ordinary life. "They know."

"W-Well, I'm not surprised. I mean, we were careless when we went to bomb the reactor. We didn't exactly hide our faces."

"No, they know where you are." Lightning breathes opening a map which clearly shows Seventh Heaven marked. "It's only a matter of time before they act."

"Then-"

"We strike first." Sliding her phone away, the soldier crosses her arms and leans against the wall, "From searching his computer history and usage, I'm fairly certain that Corneo hasn't reported in yet. He most likely suspects you and there's nothing stopping him. That's why I've kept quiet just in case Barret decides to over react."

"So..."

"In other words, we kill him."

Tifa stills staring at the soldier but Lightning doesn't even bat an eyelash. She remains completely serious and set to carry out the task. The walk back to the bar was silent and maybe it was because of that woman's words, but somehow the slums didn't feel like the slums she knows anymore. As she walks up the stairs, Tifa only hears her own footsteps. "Lightning?" Turning, the pink haired woman stands at the bottom before handing her the floppy.

"Just tell the others what I told you."

"Where are you going?"

"Work."

Tifa bites her lip and takes the floppy into her hands, "I... I can help. Why don't you let us-"

"They're watching you." Lightning interrupts, "Weren't you listening?"

"I know but it doesn't feel right. I want to do something too."

"Just don't get caught and... leave me alone."

"Why are you always like that?"

"Look, I don't need people to start associating me with you."

"Well sorry for embarrassing you." Tifa bit back but she was far too tired to argue.

"Where did you get that idea?" The fighter raises her eyebrow at the unexpected answer. Lightning's face is terse and serious, and even the question itself lacked any sarcasm. Perhaps... she meant it in another way? "If people find out I'm working with you then-"

"Oh..." Tifa could almost kick herself for not thinking about that, "That's why you always choose to come at the strangest times." Lightning's eyes roll and she turns to leave. "Wait!" Tifa calls out before running back down the stairs to stand on the same ground as Lightning, "Uhm... thanks."

"Hn. Here." Lightning held out the container of chocolate powder, "For Marlene." She takes it into her hand speechlessly. It was a secret wasn't it? Or did Lightning know that she had been listening in on them at that time? Puffing her cheeks out as she watched Lightning disappear down the street. Tifa released a sigh before turning back to Seventh Heaven.