AN: Feb 25 Prompt is "Belief."

Summary: Tifa and Aerith have a midnight conversation.

Tags: canon, light angst/comfort


Tifa didn't pray a whole lot. She'd actually never really prayed at all. The old gods of her village were fading from memory by the time her home was burned down around her. Ever since then, she figured she had to rely on herself if she wanted anything good to happen in her life. Or, at the very least, if she just wanted to break even.

But one day, while they were getting ready for bed inside of their tent, Tifa caught Aerith praying. She was on her knees on top of her bedroll, hands clasped together. Her forehead nearly touched her hands, her eyes were closed, and Tifa had never seen anyone with a more serene look on her face.

Aerith opened her eyes with a soft sigh, then snuggled into her bedroll. Tifa followed suit, blew out the lantern, and faced the ceiling of the tent.

"You were watching me," the flower girl whispered in the darkness.

Tifa nodded, then realized she couldn't see her. "Yeah. I haven't… seen anyone pray in a long time."

Aerith only hummed in response.

"Do you pray often?"

There was a moment of silence. Then she said, "Nearly every day."

Tifa turned to her side to face her. "Can… can I ask you something?"

There was a faint rustling as Aerith shifted around. "Of course."

The martial artist bit her lip, trying to figure out how to word her question. She didn't want to offend her new friend, so she settled for a simple word.

"Why?"

She could almost feel the flower girl's stare.

"Why what?"

"Why… why pray? I mean…" Tifa sighed, laying on her back again. "What's the point…?" she mumbled, not realizing that Aerith might not have heard her.

More rustling. Aerith wrapped her arm around Tifa's as much as she could through the brawler's sleeping bag. Tifa nearly jumped at the sudden touch.

"You know, I always pegged you for someone a little more cheerful than this!"

Tifa chewed on her lower lip even more. "I'm sorry…" She turned to her side again and held Aerith's hand. "I just… I guess I haven't had a lot of reason to really… believe in anything but myself. Which… which I have a hard enough time doing…" She took a deep breath. "After I met Barret, I believed in him, and in Avalanche. I believe in Cloud. I believe in you." She exhaled slowly. "But since I came to Midgar, I just find it so hard to believe in anything I can't see or… hit."

Aerith hummed again, contemplative. She didn't answer right away, instead just rubbing her thumb across the back of Tifa's hand. The martial artist almost felt the need to speak again when Aerith finally responded.

"I think for me… well, I've been able to… hear others my entire life. For a long time, I didn't understand it, and it scared me." She squeezed Tifa's hand a little tighter. "I realized as I got older that what I heard was the Planet. And I eventually embraced my heritage… though it took a long time. So now… now I pray."

She brought their hands up so they rested between their faces. Tifa could feel Aerith's breath against her fingers as she spoke.

"I pray to the Planet to see if it can help me understand. I pray to the Planet for guidance. Sometimes… when I miss someone… I pray to see if I can feel them out there somewhere. Or if I can feel that they have returned to the Planet…"

Tifa heard a pang of sadness in Aerith's tone. She nearly inquired further, but the flower girl spoke in her usual bright voice again.

"I know it can be hard to believe in something when you've been through a lot. And I can tell that you have." Aerith kissed her hand. "But if you would ever like to pray with me, you'd be more than welcome."

Tifa smiled, feeling the corners of her eyes sting. She reached out and wrapped her other arm around Aerith.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Aerith hugged her back. Soon enough, they drifted off to sleep.

As time went on, Tifa found herself praying more. At first, to nothing in particular, then to every god she could think of when things got really bad. But eventually, she settled for just praying to her friend, because at least Tifa knew she would hear her thoughts.