Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.


It shouldn't be an issue in all honesty, yet the more she thought about it, the more nerve-wracking it became. She counted down the days, and to give Tifa some credit, the raven haired beauty was just as patient as she always has been. It made Lightning nervous - Lightning did not do nervous - and that was even more true for the type of nervousness that made her hands sweaty and her mind blank.

What was even more stressful was how important she wanted it to be, because it had to speak to herself in how she would go about in accomplishing this seemingly insurmountable task, yet also reach Tifa in a way that would somehow communicate everything she felt. At first, it was meant to be simple. There wasn't ever a doubt in what answer she would get, but it felt like the longer she waited, there would always be a chance for Tifa to suddenly change her mind. All in all, Lightning blames Serah, Snow, Aerith, and... even Cloud... for her doubts despite the four of them offering nothing but support.

Support in the form of unsolicited advice as to how to impress Tifa and propose to her.

Snow, who had found out from Serah, who found out from Aerith, told her that she should 'woo' her by do something sweet and grand, like taking an air bike up to the fireworks in Yusnaan while Serah oo'd and aw'd over the suggestion over the phone. She never thought she'd feel that much of an urge to punch his face again until she found out that he was speaking from experience. After thousands of years fighting their fates, she finds out that she almost never even had to face the Fal'cies, Caius, or Bhunivelze because Snow could've gotten Serah killed by getting shot out of the sky by a fiery explosive celebratory firework.

Aerith had many ideas, many, many ideas that Lightning eventually lost track of them all. Something new would always come up in their conversations day-to-day when Tifa wasn't with them to overhear, and so that's how Cloud quickly found out. In contrast, he offered little words but occasionally would bring up what Tifa likes or dislikes at random intervals as if he only said whatever came to mind in the moment.

There was more pressure from the people around them than from the actual woman expecting the proposal. "Light?" She jolted slightly from her seat, turning towards Tifa but a small peck on her cheek found its way first. "What are you thinking so hard about?"

"It's nothing." Lightning answered, gently placing her hand on Tifa's that was on the armrest between them. They were on their way to Nibelheim on a private transport that Barret had insisted providing for their use. She looked over to her left rather than at her companion, watching as the skies passed through the window. It's been a month since her impromtu 'interview' at the front of the AVALANCHE base, but Lightning knew that it would be much longer before she'd fade away from the limelight. For what they'd done, they would be eternally immortalized in history lessons and textbooks. A little privacy was rather hard to come by with the world's eyes on them.

Even if Tifa didn't verbally respond to Lightning's answer, she knew that the fighter knew better than to believe her but she had dropped the matter anyways. Lightning was convinced that Tifa had much more on her mind to think about, especially now that they were close to Nibelheim. She had quickly noticed the polarizing expressions on Tifa's face ranging from excitement to sadness the closer they got to the trip; it was an internal battle that Tifa had a hard time hiding. "I'm… nervous." The black haired woman murmured quietly but couldn't stop fidgeting, "I haven't been back to Nibelheim since... everything burnt. I wonder how much has changed and how much I'll recognize. It's like I'm going back to where it all started."

"Well, we should be arriving soon." For what it was worth, Lightning cringed at her own blasé answer. They didn't move from their positions for about an hour before they could feel the descent. It landed without even a bump, prompting Lightning to stand from her seat. Tifa had quickly perched herself closer against the window, eagerly looking outside. "Tifa?"

"I know this area." Tifa turned around with a broad smile, "It's just slightly away from the town but there's a stone path that'll take us there." In truth, Lightning had already been in Nibelheim before during the days she'd visit the old mansion to find her unwilling SHINRA compatriots. With Tifa's excitement about showing Lightning her hometown, it made finding the right moment to divulge this fact all the harder. She doubts the fighter would appreciate the truth, especially whenever Rufus was involved.

"Then lead the way, Ms. Tour Guide."

"Too bad I don't have my tour guide outfit."

"Now I'm curious." Lightning smirked, "Think you'll still fit?"

"How rude." Tifa chuckled, moving to grab her bags before Lightning beat her to it. They promised each other to travel light with only two mid-sized carry bags, "But I'll forgive you." Departing with a thanks to the pilot and small crew that helped them here, they stepped out into the crisp mountain air. Lightning watched in amusement as Tifa jogged forward, spinning around as if she were ten years old again. "I forget how much I miss this. The fresh air, the mountains… Midgar, Academia, Pulse, Edge: they're all so different but it's not this."

"Is it home?"

The expression that passed through her face made Lightning regret ever asking. "I don't know." Tifa answered truthfully, turning back to look at the mountain range. Taking a deep breath, Lightning walked steadily towards Tifa and dropped their bags on the ground a few steps away. Tifa looked wistfully lost in the scenery.

Lightning said quietly, looking over the mountain scape. "It's beautiful."

"It's cathartic." Tifa finally answered, "I think that's what this is…"

"I'm glad." Easing herself away, Lightning turned back towards the bags but Tifa beat her to it this time, quickly snatching up one of them and offered her free hand to Lightning.

"Let's go. We still have to check-in to the Inn."

"Right." Grabbing her bag, Lightning walked by Tifa, purposefully ignoring the proffered hand. There was a small indignant huff, but the fighter soon hooked their free arms together. The Inn was one of the few things that Lightning had reservations about, especially with the one Tifa insisted on. At first, she had just blindly agreed but after Cloud found out, he had quickly told her that it was the one Tifa's father used to run.

"You're doing it again."

Blinking out of her thoughts, Lightning looked to see Tifa staring curiously at her, "Doing what?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing." There was a pout, but when Tifa didn't argue, Lightning let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. The stone and grass path down the mountains was easy enough of a trek, and Lightning spent most of the time listening to Tifa ramble on about the flowers and the Reactor that used to be the small town's greatest pull for tourism. It didn't take long for them to start seeing the first few buildings.

Despite the quiet and peace they enjoyed on their way to town, the moment they stepped foot into a populated area proved that Nibelheim was likely going to be like any other place. Attention found them, and though no one was bold enough to approach just yet, there was the staring that Lightning had long gotten accustomed to. Tifa looked to hardly notice, instead seemingly distracted by the places rather than the people.

The ruby brown eyes roamed over the buildings, pausing to each as if she was trying to place it in her memories and then lingered on the water tower. It was hard to describe it well, but the nostalgia that passed though Tifa's expression made Lightning feel... small. "Tifa?"

Tifa jumped at her voice, whipping around wide-eyed, "S-Sorry, I just…" Smiling weakly, Tifa motioned towards the buildings, "Nothing's changed." Just like that Tifa's attention wandered. A sudden burst of excitement made itself known as Tifa beamed and moved forward, dragging Lightning along through the street, "The Inn should be that way."

It wasn't what Lightning had expected, though she wasn't sure what she had been thinking of at first. The building wasn't small per-say, but it was a decent size for the town, and it had a rustic yet homey appearance to it. The entire town seem to favor a red brick for the roofs, white painted walls contrasted with dark brown wooden beams. In the past, she'd notice just as much detail on a doll's house in passing, but now that she could actually pause and breathe, it was nice enjoying the smaller details in life.

"It... really hasn't changed." Tifa breathed with a short unbelievable laugh. "It's a bit hard to believe." Tifa said, and then forged her way into the Inn with Lightning following quietly behind. When they entered, they were first greeted with the smell of burning wood in the fireplace. "Hi!" The black haired woman greeted, making her way up to the front counter, "I had booked a room, under Tifa Lockhart?"

"Ms. Lockhart? Ah yes…" The woman standing behind the counter nodded. Lightning took the moment to look around then, leaving the registration up to Tifa. It's become an unspoken agreement that Tifa would do all the talking to people, given that the most common response Lightning would get would be awestruck faces and stammers.

"Glad to know not everything's the same." Lightning turned around, watching Tifa approach with two keys, "One for you, and one for me."

"Thanks…"

"This way." For such a small place, the hallways were quite long. It was quiet though, making Lightning come to the conclusion that there weren't a lot of other patrons. The air was quite cold around this time of the year, and though it wasn't outright winter, it made packing for them harder than usual given that one of their other stops was the ever sunny and hot New Bodhum. Their room was at the very end of the hallway with decent windows opening out to the exterior and provided a good view into the town center. Dropping their bags onto the ground at the foot of the bed, Tifa fell backwards onto the bed while Lightning explored the room a bit more. Before the windows was a chaise pushed up against it, likely meant for anyone who wanted to lounge there with a view immediately beside them. On the other side of the room was a door, which she correctly assumed to be the washroom entrance.

"What do you want to do now?" Lightning asked, moving to sit on the bed beside where the other woman was sprawled.

"Well," Tifa turned to look out the window, "the sun's setting, so we should probably go grab some food before all the stores close."

"That early?"

"They closed early when I was young. I don't know."

"Let's go see then." She stood up, moving to gather her wallet and keys. They left the inn with a small nod directed to the woman at the front desk again, and though she did look at Lightning oddly, she had yet to recognize her. Lightning didn't fight it, and instead held Tifa's hand that had slipped into hers tighter, occasionally brushing her thumb against her skin when Tifa would get excited about a building or some old story of the past. There wasn't much of an option for dinner, so they both just settled with a sandwich on a bench outside of the store.

"It's good to be back…" Swallowing her mouthful of food, Lightning nodded, looking over at Tifa who was solely focused on the sandwich in front of her, "When I left, I never thought of ever coming back. Knowing that it's not the home I knew, burnt to the ground, and with my dad gone… and to have SHINRA replace everyone with actors… It was just too much. I don't recognize anyone here…" Her hands tightened around the wrapper, making the paper crumple in the silence. "I guess I can't introduce you as my girlfriend." Tifa tried to end with a tease.

"Why not?" Lightning responded, "Nothing's stopping you."

"True." Tifa grinned, shuffling closer to place a small another kiss on her cheek, "So… girlfriend - sorry, that just sounds weird. Girlfriend. How about 'Love'? 'Babe'?" Tifa tilted her head sideways in thought, "Honey? That one makes us sound like an old married couple."

"I'd rather not."

"You're no fun." Tifa kicked her feet absentmindedly, "How about 'Bae'?" It took one disapproving look from Lightning and Tifa delated. "Okay, okay, fine…"

Lightning took another nibble of her food, though noted that Tifa's was now sitting forgotten in the fighter's hands. She had that distant look again, staring blankly at the orange and blue hues of the sky as the sun set. Her mind whirled for something to say, but all she could do was flounder uselessly for something comforting or distracting to say just to erase that look from Tifa's face - if the cost was 'Bae' then so be it. "You know," Lightning began carefully, "it's not like me saying otherwise has ever stopped you anyways."

The smile was slow to come to Tifa's lips, "That's right…"

"Don't let anything stop you, especially me."

She could feel Tifa's stare, and for an inexplicable reason, Lightning found herself incapable of holding her eyes out of fear of what it might do to her. "Noted." Lightning barely caught Tifa's whisper before the fighter was on her feet and tugging Lightning up. She followed the movements dumbly, and let Tifa pull her onwards out towards the pathway up the mountains again. "Tifa, what are you-"

"I want to introduce you to them." Tifa called out, not bothering to turn around to look at her, "To my parents."

"But-"

The black haired woman suddenly stopped, turning to look at Lightning with determination gleaming in her eyes. They had a slight watery sheen to them and Lightning immediately felt herself cave - this was precisely why she hadn't want to meet her stare earlier. At that moment, she knew Tifa could ask her anything and she'd do her everything in her power to give it. "I know that they'll be able to hear me. I just know." Tifa said, her voice heavy with an undercurrent of desperation.

With the best smile she could offer, Lightning nodded, "Lead the way."

Making their way back into the wilderness, lit only by the occasional light installed to the ground and the light of the moon and the stars as the sun descended below the horizon, they eventually stopped on a cliff just slightly off from a wooden bridge. Lightning remembered this story, the one with the young lost Tifa looking for her mother, the boy who had tried to help her, and the father who saved her.

Yet, Tifa did nothing and said nothing. She just stood there staring down the cliff. Lightning steeled her resolve. She had to say something - just... do anything - and so Lightning inhaled and started softly, hoping that Tifa wouldn't notice how her voice trembled with hesitance. Her intentions were firm and clear, but it was always putting them into words that posed the greatest difficulty. "Your daughter…" Lightning let her voice drift into the distance where the bridge stretches, "said you would be able to hear her." In the corner of her eyes, she could see Tifa look at her in surprise, and so Lightning just tightened her hand on Tifa's, "I'm sure I'm nothing like what you would've imagined."

"Light…"

"I promise you... I swear on my life that I will support and love her until my dying breath… and more." Swallowing thickly, Lightning released a small self-deprecating laugh, and snuck a glance at Tifa. The black haired woman had her eyes closed as if in futile attempts to hold back her tears. They've already made it down her cheeks, leaving trails on her skin. As much as she wanted to gather Tifa in her arms, she didn't. Instead, Lightning opted only look back out to the distance as Tifa collected herself. To her surprise, the fighter said nothing more, made a small bow, and made to leave. "I thought you had wanted to talk to them."

"I did," Tifa hummed, still refusing to look at her, "but my girlfriend went and stole my thunder."

As much as Lightning wanted to protest that statement, her mind fixated on one word, and one word alone. She pursed her lips at the term 'girlfriend' and mutedly went on their way back to the Inn. Things have been weird ever since they set foot here, and for Tifa, Lightning could easily reason that it must be overwhelming just to be back to where it all ended and started anew. 'Cathartic' was what Tifa had used to describe the experience, though she wonders what the black haired woman would feel if she were to tell her that she'd been here in Nibelheim before. For it to be during a time where she was colluding with the people responsible for what had happened to her. She wasn't keen on keeping secrets, at least not from Tifa.

When they entered their room in the inn, Tifa was quick to go gather her items, "I'm going to take a shower."

"Tifa-" Lightning bit her lip, unable to stop herself.

"Hm?" Tifa raised an eyebrow, finally stopped to look at her.

"I…" Clearing her throat, Lightning squared her shoulders, "There's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

"This… isn't my first time here, in Nibelheim." Lightning confessed, watching Tifa's brow knit in confusion, "I was here because Rufus had used the SHINRA mansion as a base when-"

"I thought you were dead." Tifa finished quietly. Her lips pursed into a thin line and then she retreated into the washroom without another word. Lightning successfully swallowed a groan and walked towards their bags. She could hear the water running, listening to it in the backdrop while she began sorting through their things. This was not how she wanted their first day in Nibelheim to end. Tifa took longer than expected, and by the time she came out Lightning had already gathered her fresh set of clothing and had taken residence on the small chaise beside the windows, idly flipping through the tourist brochures the inn had placed. "I really don't think we're going to need one of those." Tifa was the first to speak.

"You never know…" Lightning responded, easing herself from her seat as the black haired woman approached, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize." Tifa shook her head with a soft smile.

"But-"

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. Why don't you go take a shower first? We can talk after, please?"

"Alright..." With one last glance at Tifa's encouraging smile, she made to grab her clothes quickly, and headed to the washroom. It didn't take nearly as long for her to finish, and she left the humid room and stepped back out. She could feel the temperature difference in a second and smell the distinct fresh breeze coming into the room from the open window. Tifa was already lying in the bed with her eyes closed. Neither of them had moved to turn on the lights, instead allowing the moonlight to fill the room. While Lightning preferred to wear shorts and a tank-top of bed, Tifa opted for a long button up shirt that reached mid-thigh. Wordlessly, she laid down beside her.

"Light?" She turned her head towards Tifa's whisper, meeting the dark ruby brown eyes. "I'm sorry about today. I feel like my emotions have just been… all over the place. I just... needed time to process everything."

"I understand." Lightning murmured. "It never really occurred to me that I've been here before, not... actually here."

"Is Nibelheim really that forgettable?" Tifa teased, earning a wry smirk from her pink haired partner.

"I just had more to worry about at the time."

"Rufus?"

"It wasn't easy getting him to cooperate." Lightning said.

"But he likes you." Of course, it was no surprise Tifa narrowed in on that. Lightning rolled her eyes but Tifa persisted, "I noticed that the people that like you are… a bit… intense - like Rufus and Hope."

"Hope?" Lightning laughed, "No… they're just… pre-occupied with the fact that I was the Goddess - that's all. I think it's just Rufus' personality that he fixates on certain things. Hope…" She hadn't seen, talked to, or talked about him since their last argument, and Lightning knows that she's just been running away like a coward. "Hope's seen and done things that no one should have to because of me. All he's ever done since our fight as L'cie was to keep fighting for my sake."

"I guess can cut him some slack." Tifa teased softly, "But he really doesn't like me."

"He just needs some time."

Tifa curled up further into her side, and Lightning shifted allowing her to get as comfortable as possible. "To be honest," Tifa continued after a moment, "I was angry when you told me that you've been here before. I don't know… I guess I felt cheated but anyone with half a brain could figure out that you weren't here for fun. I'm willing to bet the SHINRA mansion might have information on Sephiroth-"

"JENOVA, specifically." Lightning helpfully supplied.

"Point proven." Tifa nodded, "Coming back here, seeing how nothing has changed and the only thing that has… is that my father isn't here. No one I know is here. When you had said all of that on the mountain… I was so happy but then I couldn't help but wish that you could meet him. I just... hated SHINRA all over again. I guess I thought I could put things to rest if I came back with you, but maybe I'm just re-opening old wounds."

"Y'know," Lightning turned her body and reached her arms around to embrace the other, "I'm wondering if you purposefully set that up for me to say something cheesy about opening old wounds so they can heal properly."

Tifa laughed, and snuggled closer into the crook of her neck, "That was all you. I'm starting to regret this trip."

"Hm?"

"I mean, going to Nibelheim, then Academia, and then New Bodhum. I'm going to be an emotional wreck."

"Maybe it's time you stopped focusing on the past." Running her hand through Tifa's hair, Lightning glided her fingers down Tifa's arm and up to her hand that was resting on Lightinng's shoulder, "To be honest, I'm nervous about this trip too."

"Why?" Tifa lifted herself up slightly just to look into her eyes.

"I don't like it when you call me your girlfriend." Lightning said bluntly, yet her words were in contrast with her actions. She pressed Tifa's hand against her cheek, and she leaned into the touch just enough to place a kiss on her palm. "I know you only started today, but… I don't want to be just your girlfriend."

"Light…"

"I love you." Lightning confessed, smiling softly at the watery ruby brown eyes, "I don't have a ring yet, but will-" Tifa's lips claimed hers before she could finish, and Lightning effortlessly melted into it. She could feel the tremor in Tifa's hand that held her face and the quiver in her lips. The black haired woman broke away to gasp for breath, giving Lightning the chance to rest their foreheads together. She reached up to brush the tears away with her thumb, "I'm trying to ask you a question here."

"Yes." Tifa clutched onto her, holding Lightning impossibly close, "Yes."

"I haven't even asked yet." Lightning smiled, while Tifa just laughed warmly against her cheek. "Just... give me two weeks, and I'll make it official."

"So you're going to ask me in New Bodhum then. Way to ruin the surprise."

"That's just to make it official. You already gave me your answer."

"You didn't actually ask."

"Well, just know it then."

Tifa hummed, but said nothing more. Holding Tifa closely, Lightning closed her eyes and finally felt herself relax. The shadows in Tifa's eyes that Lightning had seen were gone now, replaced with the warmth that she knew - mission accomplished.


OH HELLO THERE. :D

Surprise! I hope everyone's well and safe! Who's excited for the new FF7!