Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.


"So? What do you think?" Tifa asked as she spun on her heel, allowing the dress to turn around her knees. One look at Lightning's expression and she could tell that she had missed the mark. With a sigh, she looked at the mirror and eyed the red dress again.

"As long as you like it." Lightning merely shrugged before she walked up beside her to look into the mirror alongside. "It... matches your eyes."

A wide grin broke across Tifa's lips as she gave the soldier a sly stare. Today was a good day. No one else was here yet and she could spend it with Lightning however she wants for now. Breaking into groups to go out for their shopping search in preparation for the Gala was a good idea and she had managed to get Lightning to send Hope off. After much debate and protest from Fang, the spear wielder had finally relented and saw them off with a grunt. Hope agreed quickly, but Tifa reasoned that it was probably due to the fact that Lightning was going with her. Diving into her change room quickly, Tifa pulled out another long midnight black dress and held it over her body, "So this one then?"

"It'll look better at the Gala." Lightning said, "The red is... bright. This is black, it's more elegant."

So you prefer an elegant me?" Tifa teased, nudging Lightning in the waist before she quickly entered the change room as she pulled the soldier along with her.

"T-Tifa?"

Sliding shut the curtains, Tifa swept her hair over her shoulder and turned her back to Lightning, "Help me unzip it. You have no idea what I went through trying to get myself into it." There was no spoken response but Tifa could feel Lightning's hands tug on the zipper and the fabric loosened around her body. Her fingers were cold as they accidentally drifted down her back, leaving the most teasingly feathered touch behind. Tifa swallowed thickly as she fought a shiver and tried to quell her rapidly beating heart. "L-Light," Tifa stammered, "what are you going to wear?"

"Something simple. Not a dress."

"No?"

"It gets in my way."

Tifa laughed, clutching the dress to her chest so it wouldn't fall down as she turned to look at the pinkette, "We'll be at a party, not a battle arena."

"Whatever." Lightning grunted before she reached for the black dress and shoved it into Tifa's hands, "Try this." Without another word, she stepped out of the change room allowing Tifa the privacy to change into the black dress. It was snug and fitted her body perfectly. Tifa looked at the mirror again and couldn't stop the wide smile from coming to her lips. Lightning was right, this dress was elegant. She ran her hand down the smooth black fabric, fiddled with the sheer fabric that drifted with the slightest turn. It shimmered softly, seemingly crested with small black crystals. Taking a deep breath, Tifa stepped out of the change room. Lightning turned to her before she seemingly froze. The blue eyes were wide and her mouth dropped open slightly as if to say something but no words came. Tifa blushed, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"S-So? What do you think?"

Clearing her throat, Lightning approached her almost hesitantly, "You look... good."

"Only good?" Tifa asked as she turned to the mirror.

"Beautiful." Lightning's fingers drifted up her back again, catching a few strands of her hair. She seemed almost... entranced as she watched it slip from her fingers before the blue eyes raised themselves to meet hers, "You look beautiful." Lightning whispered as she stepped even closer. Tifa closed her eyes, smliing when she could feel her warmth and smell the rose perfume. Lightning's hands brushed her cheek gently, before Tifa could feel her lips gently graze over the skin of her jaw.

Blushing warmly, Tifa opened her eyes and rested her forehead against the pinkette's. "So it's this dress then?"

"Definitely."

Tifa giggled as she pulled away, giving the soldier one more look before she stepped into the change room again. She swiftly changed out of the dress and back into her usual clothing before she eagerly found Lightning outside in the relatively empty shop. It was an expensive shop, but it pays to have a rich lover. Her hand never lingered far from Lightning's, often their fingers to gently brush against one each other and Tifa remained as a constant at the soldier's side. She watched as Lightning paid for the dress and silently vowed to get something for Lightning in return. Something for Lightning to keep with her and remember her by. "Are we going to go shop for you?" Tifa asked, quirking her eyebrow at Lightning.

"No, it's fine."

"Why not?"

"I already got something." Lightning shrugged as she lifted the bag in her hand, "I paid for it already when you were changing."

"You should've showed me!" Tifa pouted as she slipped her arm into the others as they walked down the street, "I wanted to see."

"You'll see it at the Gala."

As they turned the corner, Tifa quickly saw the rest of the group at the agreed upon meeting place and pulled away from Lightning, snatching the bags away with a thankful grin. "Tifa!" Aerith waved at her as they approached where the brunette stood with Cloud and Hope. Her ruby eyes met Cloud's for a moment before she looked at the bags Aerith had in her hands. "Let's see." Tifa smirked in triumph when Aerith saw her dress. It was a nice dress. She wouldn't want to disappoint after all. It was sudden and abrupt before Aerith's head shot up, her neck craning as she looked up at the sky. "Aerith?"

"Is something the matter?" The brunette's head slowly shook before she met Hope's curious stare.

"It's nothing."

"I see." Despite nodding, he too looked up in the direction Aerith had before a unnoticeable frown crossed his brow.

...

"That's too bad." Her voice as soft as it was lost in the winds. Tilting her head slightly, she peered down at the group. With her feet swinging playfully off the edge of the building she was sitting on, the pink haired demon smirked. Her body disappeared before Aerith's eyes had looked up, searching the sky with her green eyes. The shadows dance at her feet and the next time light returns around her, she steps out onto the old stone floors. The stairs lead up to the empty throne suspended on crystal which floated there idly, "Isn't that right? Sis?"

...

"Ok, breathe in!" Tifa huffed as she sucked in a huge breath of air before zipping up the dress. Perfect. Checking herself in the mirror, she adjusted her hair which was done up in an intricate bun. She had a little make-up on, not a lot, but it was safe to say that Tifa was quite satisfied with her looks. Grabbing her purse, she left her room to see Lightning already waiting for her outside in the hallway. "You should've knocked." Tifa started before she gave the pinkette one good look over.

It was rather... simple. The woman merely sported black, very fitting pants tucked in knee-length leather boots with a slight heel, and a black blouse buttoned up above her bust which revealed enough collarbone to make Tifa swallow thickly. At the same time, Lightning had took to the time to look at her but she was too far off in her own appraisal of Lightning's simple yet dashing look to notice the soft blush on the pinkette's cheeks. "You look... beautiful." Lightning said softly as she walked up to her and lightly hooked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"You told me that yesterday." Tifa teased as she laced Lightning's fingers with her own. The two walked down the hallway before Tifa glanced around them, "Where are the others?"

"They left already." The soldier shrugged, "Didn't take nearly as long as you did."

"Hey! I wanted to impress."

"And you did." Lightning said, casting a glance towards the fighter with a small quirk of her lips.

A violent blush instantly tore through her cheeks, rendering Tifa silent. Her free hand clenched into a fist as she fought an unreasonable urge to suddenly kiss Lightning senseless. "Uhm... Light?" Tifa stammered after they were in the privacy of the elevator, "I just... thanks."

"For what?"

"The dress and... f-for waiting for me." Tifa smiled as she looked up to meet Lightning's eyes shyly, "It means a lot." Lightning didn't answer her, but Tifa was already use to the soldier's lack of expressions. They walked out of the lobby, ignoring the flattering looks sent their way before Tifa saw a cab parked outside and waiting. It amused Tifa greatly that Lightning had taken on the stereotypical 'gentleman's' role as she opened the door for her first, helping Tifa in before she climbed in herself.

"The Gala." Lightning simply stated before the car moved forward. She turned her eyes out the window and watched the city drive by beside her. This was truly of City of Dreams. The street lamps emitted an evening glow under the night sky, decorations lined the streets along with vendors and families laughing and enjoying themselves. The place seemed to sparkle with life and energy, almost overwhelming but definitely excitable. When they had stopped, Tifa looked up to see a castle, or almost a cathedral. Grand stairs let up to the large double doors. The people all around them were dressed fancily. Women in extravagant dresses, and men in tuxes. Tifa smirked and looked at Lightning again. No matter how good she looked, she was clearly under-dressed.

She waited until Lightning paid the fare and helped her out before she spoke, "This is incredible."

"I guess." Lightning muttered but before they could get very far, a PSICOM soldier intercepted them with a stiff salute.

"The Lieutenant wishes to speak with you."

"Lightning!" As if on cue, the PSICOM Lieutenant that had given them the tickets approached. His face bore a wide familiar grin as if he had known Lightning all his life.

"Go on ahead." Lightning breathed and Tifa could do little but nod. Lightning's hand slipped out of hers as she made her way up the stairs. At the top, she looked back once to see Lightning still locked in a conversation before she turned around and headed in.

The moment she walked in, she had her breathe taken away. It looked as if it had been taken out of one of her old childhood fairy tales of princes and princesses, of knights and heroes, and damsels in distress. There was a large crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the large domed roof. They were of an medieval design, large arch beams that reached up and separated finely engraved pictures. "Your name please?" A man asked as he stood at the door, dressed in a finely pressed dress pants, and shirt with a black vest. He had a white towel on his arm and bowed his head slightly towards her.

"Tifa..." he looked as if he was expecting more before Tifa gave her last name as well, "Lockhart."

"Enjoy your evening Ms. Lockhart." He said before he turned towards the inside of the building and announced her arrival, "Ms. Lockhart!"

She nodded towards him awkwardly as she walked forward to the large balcony over looking the party. Large half-spiral staircases wound down to the ground floor where she could see countless people chatting and dancing. On one side was an orchestra playing the music for the luxurious evening. So this was the life of upper society, the people that she would be fighting would be people enjoying this sort of life. It made complete sense then, why they would be more than reluctant to part with it. Her fingers drifted against the railings of the stairs as she made her way down but her eyes quickly found the familiar blonde haired man weaving his way through the crowd before he stood at the bottom of the stairs awaiting her. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest when she met his eyes. They were alight with adoration and pride, and it made Tifa blush as she tried to focus on not tripping down the stairs. Cloud too looked dashing. His hair was brushed back and he had a black form fitting tuxedo on a white dress shirt. As she approached, he reached out his hand in an offer. With a warm smile, Tifa slipped her hand into his before he brought it up to his lips for a kiss for decoration.