Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.


She must be mad; insane. Barret would have her head for this and even Lightning would strangle her for doing what she was doing, but she couldn't just sit back and let Lightning do all the work. This was her mission just as much as it was Lightning's and this was her city, her home. She stands there dressed in a tight blue dress she had bought from one of the stores, watching as the ground passes beneath the carriage she's on. It pulls into the red light district and everyone's attention turns to her; the newest member to Corneo's family. In other words, the newest prostitute.

Of course, she would never do something like this in reality, it just wasn't in her and she admits that she doesn't have the courage that other women have to enter this line of work as the only ways of survival. She'll get in, get whatever information on Corneo's computer that Lightning was talking about, and get out again. At the very least, it'll give her as well as AVALANCHE some credit, something to weigh against Lightning and show her that they were serious and capable of doing what she's doing. Tifa burns her eyes to the ground in attempts to ignore the hooting and wolf whistles of the men the carriage passes before she's brought to Corneo's mansion.

The gates open and she could feel the eyes of every man there staring at her hungrily but she remains strong, and listened to the order to go inside the building. If worse comes to worse she'll just fight her way out. She enters and Tifa almost grimaces at the gaudy red and gold. "Up here." Nodding at the man leading her, he points her down a stone stairway and tells her to wait for the Don. She'll do that. Nodding, Tifa quickly shuffled down the stairs and comes upon a torture chamber.

Shaking thoughts of the possible uses out of her mind, she remains there. She counts her fingers, then her toes, and runs through her plan and then just stares blankly up at the ceiling wondering when she'll get this over with. Footsteps approach and Tifa instantly darts from her place to line herself against the wall but freezes when she watches wide-eyed as Aerith and a blonde woman stagger in.

"A-Aerith! What are you-" Tifa starts but she's immediately interrupted by the blonde.

"I can ask you the same thing."

"C-Cloud!" Tifa screams before Aerith clamps her hands over her mouth to silence her. He's dressed in a ugly purple dress, along with a long blonde wig, and Tifa swore he even had makeup on.

"We saw you on the carriage so we came to rescue you." The brunette whispers glancing up the stone stairs warily.

"Let's just get the hell-" Cloud's voice stops turning as they hear footsteps heading down towards them. One of Corneo's lackeys came to look them up with a feral smirk, muttering something about who they'd get tonight before ordering them up the stairs. They large doors were soon before them and with a quick shove, they were forced in and left facing the very round Don. His yellow hair was brushed up his bald head in a single tail down the center. He wore a red overcoat complete with the frilly white fur collar. His perverse eyes widened looking down each of them eagerly and Tifa felt a need to smash his face in when he blatantly stared at her chest.

"Look at who we have-"

Cloud doesn't waste time approaching him swiftly before delivering a crushing punch to the fat man's jaw, instantly launching Corneo down onto the bed. "What does SHINRA know?" He hisses stepping a foot up onto the bed as he leans menacingly over him.

Tifa instantly steps forward glaring down at Corneo before her face twisted in a sadistic smile, "I'll smash 'em."

"What?!"

"I'll chop 'em off." Cloud corrects.

"W-What!?" Corneo yells instantly covering his groin with his sausage fingers.

Aerith steps up, "I'll rip 'em off."

"Nothing!" Corneo instantly cowers in the bed, "They know nothing! SHINRA hired me but I haven't reported to them! I swear!"

The three exchange looks watching as the man trembled in the corner of his bed before nodding to each other. "Let's get out of here." Aerith breathed.

"Ha!" Corneo suddenly laughs manically, before whipping around to face them with his hand wrapped around a lever, "You think you're going to be getting away with this!"

"Wha-" Tifa couldn't even get the last word out before the floor below them drops open. A trap door. The three instantly plummet, crashing and tumbling through a dark tunnel before they're dumped out into the sewers. Wiping her arms clean of the dirt and grime, Tifa tried wafting away the stench despite knowing how futile it was. "Ugh... this is disgusting..." Tifa muttered glancing down at the brown sluggish mess. She didn't even want to know what that was.

"Where are we?" Aerith asks.

"Sewers." Cloud spat ripping the wig off and tossing it to the ground, "Damn it."

"But why would he throw us into the sewers?" Tifa asked checking around for any exits, "He didn't try to kill us."

"Yeah, cause he's gonna report to Shinra and have them take care of us." Cloud responded kicking at a chained door keeping them captive, "Let's just hope Lightning can handle it."

"Wait, Lightning? She's here?"

"Well she's obviously not here." Aerith hummed, "She was outside Corneo's mansion. She watched you go in."

"And she didn't stop her." Cloud hissed as he kicked the rusted lock repeatedly hopefully to break it.

"Do you still have that thing Light gave you?" Aerith asked placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder to stop him.

"This thing?" He pulls out a small black cylinder from his pocket.

"Yeah." Snatching it away, Aerith moves to stand before the gate as the others huddle around her, "She said it open's locks."

"How?" Tifa wonders looking at the smooth black carbon. "Is there a button on it?"

"I don't think so." Aerith breathes inspecting the gadget.

"Great." Cloud drawls sarcastically, "She gives us a piece of junk that doesn't even work."

"It's not junk," the flower girl retorts looking back at Cloud, "We just don't know how to use it... I guess."

"Then it's junk."

"Can I see?" Tifa asks and Aerith nods giving the small cylinder to Tifa. It really is just a smooth rounded piece of carbon. "She said it opens doors?"

"Locks." Aerith corrected.

"How?"

"She never said. Just gave it to us and left in a hurry."

Gripping it with her hands, Tifa tried pulling it apart, twisting it and even snapping it in half but it never budged. "You think she was just messing with us?"

"Probably." Cloud mutters already looking for another way out.

"Really? I don't think Light would be the type of person to do something like that."

"Well, I guess we'll have to find another way out." Tifa sighs flinging her hands up but the moment she does Aerith instantly snatches her wrist, "W-What?"

"Hold it up to the lock." Raising her eyebrow, Tifa did as told holding the blunt edge to the key hole before a small green light shone in between. "It's... doing something." It's light weight, barely more than a spoon but she instantly feels the change. Pulling it out, she could feel rough edges hit the key hole before they still staring at a soft green projection of a key.

"Would you look at that." Tifa breathes thoroughly impressed. That explains how Lightning seemed to walk in and out of her bar so easily when she swore she had locked the doors every single time. "How did you know?"

"I thought I saw a little light when you moved your hand. Lucky."

Sliding the key back in, the lock slides open like a charm allowing them to rid the chains. "I guess we're clear now huh?" Tifa laughs glancing back at the other two. Aerith similarly returned her smile while Cloud rolled his eyes with a grunt before brushing past the both of them.

"Let's just go." They came out smelling foul. Despite the curious and snickering eyes that lingered on Cloud as they walked back towards the bar, the stench was enough to keep everyone at bay. "What were you thinking going in there!" Cloud hissed shaking his head in frustration.

"Corneo had info on us and I wanted to get it." Tifa sighed.

"You should've left it to Lightning."

"Why? She's already done so much-"

"Do you think she'll appreciate this?" Cloud retorted, "She'll probably just say we got in the way again. If she's so confident in herself then let her do it on her own. Save us the trouble." He stomped up to the bar, slamming the door open before marching straight in. Jessie, Biggs and Wedge turned to them before they slapped their hands over their nose.

"Where the hell did you guys go?" Biggs wheezed, staggering up from the seat.

"Where the hell do you think?" Cloud bit back. Wedge gagged before dashing up stairs.

"What smells like shit?" Barret asked as he walked down stairs looking at the three before looking Cloud up and down, "Are you dressed in drags?"

"Shut up."

"What happened?"

"Tifa decided to get herself captured by Corneo." Cloud stated before charging up stairs locking himself in his room again.

"You did what?!" Barret yelled. Great. She in for a lashing.

"I went in to get the information about us from Corneo." Tifa quickly defended herself before Barret even had the chance to start.

"Why would you do that!?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Leave it to Lightning-"

"Again? You too?" Tifa breathed, "You can't let her do everything on her own-"

"Why not? She wants it that way so why should we care?"

"Because we're fighting for the same thing!" Tifa huffed feeling a migraine come to her head. "Sooner or later she's going to need our help-"

"Then let her ask for it! Serves her right for being a bitch-"

"Actually," Aerith interrupted, "I think everything worked out fine."

"What?" Both asked turning to the flower girl.

"Well, if what Lightning had told us was true-"

"She told you?" Barret asked, "You're not even in AVALANCHE."

"Yes, but she told Cloud and I was there. She didn't have any problems with me overhearing." Aerith rebutted before continuing where she left off, "Corneo already knows Tifa's in AVALANCHE but he still agreed to... well, interview her, for the lack of better terms. It was a chance Tifa took and there were no losses. Sure Cloud's pride might be a bit wounded but he probably needed it anyways."

"So? Corneo's probably going to go tattling to SHINRA now. Can you imagine what would happen?"

"Light's on it." Aerith stated easily with a small shrug. "After she knew we were going in, she left really quickly. I bet she was preparing to go in there to save Tifa herself, but... I guess she needed an extra pair of hands. The next time we see her, she'll say that we're fine."

"We're?"

"Yep, I might as well join." Aerith grinned, "I probably know more about Light's plans that you do."

"How?"

"Well... you just need to know what to say and what to ask. Besides, I want to see Academia too."

"What are you talking about?" Barret asked scratching the back of his head.

"It's fine." Waving her hand off, Aerith shoved Tifa towards the stairs, "Come on, can I borrow a change of clothes?"

"S-Sure..." Tifa mumbled, staggering up the stairs before she looked to Cloud's closed door. "Could you... go up first?"

"Hm?"

"I just... want to thank Cloud."

"Oh, yeah, sure thing." Smiling softly, Aerith turned up towards Tifa's room.

Knocking on his door, she waited a moment but when no answer came, she tried again, "Cloud? Cloud, I'm coming in." Sliding open the door slightly, Tifa peaked into the room before she hesitantly stepped in, "Cloud?" She tried again a little louder before the said man appeared behind the corner stepping out of the washroom. Her breath hitched and she fought a violent blush seeing him stand there shirtless. His chest was broad, and chiseled finely with an eight pack that glistened slightly from the water. "Uhm, I- I..."

"T-Tifa?" Even he sounded surprised.

"I just wanted to... thank you."

"Right," He managed before quickly pulling on a fitting t-shirt, "Yeah..."

"Well... thanks for coming to save me."

He nods and Tifa turns to leave, "Wait," she turns and even he blushes slightly, turning to look to the floor, "It's nothing."

"Oh... well, uhm, I'll go." She leaves his room quickly closing the door behind her before she rests back on it, heaving a deep breath in attempts to calm her thumping heart. Clearing her throat, she suppresses a small smile before she too heads up to her room.


I didn't really bother reading this chapter over. It's not one of my favorites but Tifa's actions were needed to move the story forward. Besides, the Corneo scene was a classic so I couldn't help but include it in.

Next Chapter, out tomorrow? Or maybe later tonight? Depends.