Author's Note: So, I'm actually super ahead writing compared to where I'm posting. So I'm going to go on a bit of a posting spree this week in an attempt to lessen that gap. Which'll be super great for all of you reading chapter-to-chapter, because it means less waiting! I do appreciate reviews, so if you're reading and you're enjoying, or have any questions, go ahead and leave a review! I don't usually respond to reviews on fanfic, because I like the answers to be available for all to see, so I usually respond on my blog. (Link on my profile.) Check out the blog anyway, for interesting stuff about each individual chapter. Anyway, more personal questions or things that might involve spoilers, or other reasons will prompt me to respond via fanfic's pm system. (Basically, that was me rambling on for forever saying to leave a review for whatever reason.) Now, for the chapter! Enjoy!

Nibelheim: Tifa, Age 13

"Do you really mean it?" Tifa asked excitedly.

The owner of the place nodded. "What with all the monsters showing up and people leaving to go become SOLDIER in Midgar, we have an opening for tour guides. I know you really wanted the position, so I was just waiting for you to apply again."

"Oh goodness! This is so exciting!" Tifa exclaimed. "When do I start?"

"How's next week sound?"

"I'll be here bright and early!"

"Excellent!"

Tifa squealed once more before leaving the building. She practically danced out into the streets—spinning as she went.

She had a job! She could pay for her training with Zangan without help from her father. She'd been glad that her father had agreed to pay for the lessons—once he agreed to it. Zangan gave her more free lessons than he should have. Tifa was very grateful for Zangan's offer before they finally convinced her father that lessons were a good idea. But Tifa always felt bad that Zangan was devoting so much of his time to her and he wasn't getting paid, when he could just as easily have a different paying student.

Tifa headed directly to Zangan's house so she could tell him the good news. He would share her excitement because he knew Tifa wanted this. There was no point running to tell her father at the present moment, he was in a council meeting right now and this did not constitute as a life or death situation and thus there was no need to interrupt him. She could tell him and dinner tonight. He would hopefully be excited, too. If nothing else, it meant money he didn't have to spend.

Things were finally looking up. She had a job! She and her father were getting along better. If nothing else, he'd complaining about Cloud and his mother. Honestly, if this round of applications at the Mt. Nibel Tour Guide Hut hadn't gone through, Tifa was seriously considering trying for a job at Mrs. Strife's Soup Kitchen. But everything had gone through and she was a tour guide! Nothing against Mrs. Strife, but Tifa would much rather be a tour guide than a cook. Her personality was suited to it better.

Plus, she was finally getting to hang around Cloud again. Now that her father had stopped complaining about him, Tifa was more free to spend time with Cloud—at least outside of her house. Sure, Cloud was still the "weird" kid that all the rest of her friends talked badly about, but she did her best to shush them, saying they just didn't understand him, but if they tried, they'd really get to like him.

Unfortunately, one of them told her that Cloud wasn't too nice to new people. She had taken that response with a sigh. It was true. Cloud just wasn't a people person. But that didn't mean people got to talk badly about him. She quelled most bad-talk about him as fast as she could. She supposed she didn't have to, but she cared about Cloud.

She should tell Cloud about her new job. Frankly, she should tell all of her friends, but she felt that Cloud would actually care about it. Sure, her other friends would be happy for her, but Cloud would get it.

She was debating this when she saw him on the street, obviously coming back from the shooting range. He'd gotten a job there a few months ago, cleaning guns and showing people who went to the range how to use them. Tifa hadn't known Cloud knew how to use a gun, but apparently he did, well enough at least to teach other people how to use them.

Of course, Tifa knew that Cloud preferred the elegance of a sword to the randomness of a gun. But, hey, a job's a job.

"Cloud!" she called, hoping he could hear her.

He did hear her. He turned and when he saw her, she thought she saw the smallest bit of a smile on his face.

"Hey, guess what!" she said.

"What?" he asked.

"I got a job!"

"Oh, really?" Cloud asked. "Where at?"

"As a tour guide for Mt. Nibel!"

"That's great, Tifa," Cloud said. He was excited for her! Tifa just knew he'd get it.

"Isn't it?" she asked.

"You be careful on that mountain, though," Cloud warned, his voice taking a serious tone.

Tifa smacked him on the arm playfully, banishing his sourer mood. "Of course I will, silly. Besides, I won't have you there to protect me. I'll have to be careful."

"Yeah, or you'll lose your job."

It took Tifa a second to realize that Cloud was joking too, in his own weird way. She sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm really glad you got the job though," Cloud said. "I know it means a lot to you."

"It does!" Tifa said, excitement creeping back into her voice. "What worries me, though, is that the only reason the position opened up is because so many people are leaving Nibelheim to go become SOLDIER or something—because of all the monsters we've had recently."

Cloud frowned. "Well, we have had a lot of monsters recently. I'm not even sure what those little black ones are."

"Those ones with the yellow eyes?" Tifa asked. "Yeah, I don't know either. I can usually get the little ones, but I have to avoid them if there's any big ones, or more than three."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I only go after them if I've got one of these on me." He hefted the rifle in his hands. "It definitely comes in handy—but boy, those things are tough!"

"Is that your gun?" Tifa asked. "Or is it just for work."

"Technically," Cloud said, drawing out the world. "It's work's. But I convinced my boss that since we do have all these monsters roaming around, and since I don't have any other means of getting rid of them at the moment, I should be allowed to carry this thing to and from work, so long as I promise not to use it on anything besides a monster. I think he agreed because it's almost a form of free pest control. I'm conservative with ammo."

Tifa raised her eyebrows, slightly impressed. "You should take lessons from Zangan, then you wouldn't need a gun," she joked. "And that's free ammo."

Now it was Cloud's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm good with this for now. You keep learning how to beat things up with your fists."

"It's a very useful skill," Tifa insisted.

"And I believe you. It's just not my thing. At some point, I'd really like to get myself a nice, good sword."

"You would," Tifa said.

Cloud shrugged. "I would. And hey, free ammo."

Tifa smiled. Swords did constitute as free ammo, just as much as fists did. And Cloud really liked the idea of a sword.

"I hope you manage to get a really nice sword," Tifa said, making sure her voice was as sincere as her true thoughts on the manner.

Cloud grinned wistfully. "Me too. Just, they're expensive. But, I've been saving up money from each paycheck to put towards a really good sword. I want to have one before I go out adventuring."

Tifa frowned. "You're still planning that, aren't you?"

Cloud nodded.

Tifa furrowed her brows. "But why, Cloud?" she asked. "Please tell me you're at least not going out to become SOLDIER? I'm not entirely sure what all Shinra's up to, but I don't think it's good. And SOLDIERs are Shinra's pets, practically."

"There are a lot of good people in SOLDIER though," Cloud argued. "Legends, even. Tell me I'm not the only one who's thought about being one of them."

"Cloud," Tifa pleaded. "Please don't go into SOLDIER. If you do have to leave, just let it be for an adventure and nothing more. Don't go getting any crazy ideas to become something that you're not."

Cloud's face showed that hint of a smile. "I promise you, Tifa, I will chase only my dreams. I won't become someone that I'm not."

Tifa wanted to tell him to wait for her before going out adventuring. She was getting a lot better with lessons from Zangan. She could take on most average monsters, and the fact that she could take on three of those black things with the yellow eyes said a lot, in her opinion. But she couldn't bring herself to say anything about it. She and Cloud had only just begun building their friendship now that her father was off their case. If she told Cloud that she wanted to go with him adventuring, it might ruin everything they'd built. Part of her reminded her that she had until he got a sword anyway. It sounded like he wasn't going to be leaving without a sword. Which meant Tifa still had some time to bring up the subject of going along. Maybe she could be better by then. Maybe Cloud would view her as a good adventuring buddy.

"Well," Cloud said, interrupting her from her thoughts. "I need to be getting home. My mom'll be waiting."

Tifa nodded. "Okay. I'll see you around."

Cloud almost smiled again and nodded as well. "See you."

He gave a little two-finger salute and walked away. Tifa stood there for a few moments, watching him. Then she headed off to Zangan's place, which was still her eventual destination.

She tried to get her spirits back up. She had a job. She'd just had a fairly decent conversation with Cloud. Granted, he was talking about leaving again, which now seemed like an ever-present thing, as opposed to a pipe-dream. There was something oddly depressing about that.

Thankfully, by the time she got to Zangan's, she'd managed to lift her spirits. The promise of a new job, and thus pay to cover her lessons, and the thought of not being a burden to her father as far as that was concerned. Those were all happy thoughts. Good thoughts. Hey, even talking to Cloud about normal things was a good thing.

"Someone is in a good mood," Zangan said, putting tea in the kettle.

"I got a job!" Tifa told him.

He raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "Oh really? Do tell me all the details."

"It's at Mt. Nibel—the tour guide position!"

"That one you've been wanting?"

"Yes! They had an opening! The owner said he was practically reserving it for me!"

"That is wonderful news," Zangan said. "I know how much you've been wanting a job—but especially that job."

Tifa nodded. "Now I won't have to worry about my dad stopping payment for the lessons."

"Now, Tifa," Zangan said. "You and I know your father wouldn't actually do that now that he's agreed to pay in the first place. He has to keep a good name, being on the Council and all."

"Yeah," Tifa agreed. "I supposed that's true."

"Anyway," Zangan said, changing the subject. "How goes the rest of your life?"

"Well," Tifa said, laughing a little. "Mostly it's that I just got a job, honestly. I mean, school's not in session at the moment, so I have a lot of free time. I've been practicing a lot, actually. I've gotten really good at fighting against a lot of the smaller monsters. And I can take on a few of those black ones without too much trouble."

Zangan frowned. "Ah yes, those 'black ones'."

"What about them?" Tifa asked.

"Darkness," Zangan answered.

"They're made out of darkness?" Tifa asked, skeptical.

"Darkness, or something close to that," Zangan said.

"How can something be made out of darkness?" Tifa asked.

Zangan shook his head, not knowing. "Whatever it is that they are made out of, it is pure darkness, blackness, evilness—that which seeks to destroy all Worlds." His voice was grave and quiet.

Tifa wasn't sure what to make of that. Why would something want all that sort of destruction?

She didn't get very far in her thoughts. The teakettle went off. Zangan took it off the fire and poured both of them a cup. Tifa sipped her tea slowly, the way that was supposed to calm her. She wasn't sure if it worked, or if it was something that took practice, like a lot of other things Zangan taught. He didn't just teach her kicks and punches, but an entirely different mentality that went along with the muscle memory.

"Something looks like it's bothering you," Zangan observed.

"Thinking about the black monsters," Tifa said. "About how they seek to destroy so many things. Why does such a thing exist?"

"Because the Worlds are broken," Zangan replied.

"Maybe I can fix them," Tifa said.

Zangan laughed. "As bright of a girl as you are, Tifa," he said. "I think it will take more than just you to fix the worlds."

"I'll get some of my friends to help," Tifa said with a shrug. "Or I'll find other people who want to fix them as much as I do."

Zangan quieted his laughter. "Then remember this, Tifa, darkness is most afraid of the light. But beware, the closer you are to the light, the greater your shadow becomes."

Tifa sat there, chewing on these tidbits of information. They were no doubt important.

"Remember also, that sometimes, the best thing that you can do, is to cut darkness down in smaller ways. Be someone's light. You don't have to fight all the darkness at once, just smaller parts of it to weaken it."

Tifa nodded. "I think I understand."

Zangan smiled.