DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are wholly the properties of Square Enix. This story is written purely for entertainment and not profit.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Firstly, apologies for the long delay. I meant to release this chapter sooner, but a combination of real life "interruptions" and dissatisfaction with its initial details held me back (I've since gone back and revised it a few times). Thank you for your patience, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy this story. Now, on to Chapter 12.

Healing of the Heart

Written by daBOSSz

Chapter 12

Cloud would show that he meant what he said. He returned the next day from his deliveries with news that he had signed Tifa up for a battle on the following Monday evening, knowing that was the time when the bar was usually the least busy. Over the course of the week leading up to her fight in the arena, he and Tifa woke up early every morning to train.

The restored rigor that had apparently been stirred by the revelation of the new battle square seemed to keep both of them laser-focused, and the awkward incident that had interrupted their first training session never manifested itself for a second time, fading into ancient history. Cloud kept his personal emotions suppressed while he guided Tifa, equally as motivated as her to build on her strength in preparation for her first structured combat challenge in a long while.

As the days passed and their sessions accumulated, Cloud easily noticed Tifa's improvement. Her reflexes were being restored to the same speed he remembered from their combat-filled days, speeding up both her attacking and defensive abilities. He was finding it increasingly difficult to best her in their sparring matches, and he took note of the augmented intensity that her confidence exuded. By the time they finished their session on Monday morning, he made sure to let her know that he felt she was completely prepared for that evening.

Monday also happened to be the first day of school for Marlene and Denzel. Cloud and Tifa had debated whether or not to bring the two of them to the battle square, but the youngsters' insistence was so persistent that it almost made their debate moot.

"We've already seen you both in action," Denzel reminded them at dinner one evening. "You're not protecting us by not letting us come."

In the end, they settled on a compromise: Marlene and Denzel would attend if they finished any homework they might be given. If not, Cloud would stay behind to watch the two of them while Tifa went to fight alone.

Fortunately for all four of them, Monday went by as smoothly as they anticipated. Cloud took the children to school in the morning en route to his first delivery; even though the youngsters would be walking to school on most days, Cloud insisted on bringing them there for their first in order to familiarize himself with both the route and the atmosphere around the campus in the morning. He finished his work in a timely manner, returning to the school a few minutes before dismissal to greet the children at the front door. To both his satisfaction and relief, Marlene and Denzel walked out with wide smiles on their faces and regaled him with tales of excitement about their first day. Upon arriving back at Seventh Heaven, Tifa informed him that business had been better than usual during the day, and the bar had earned more than enough to cover for that evening.

Cloud helped Tifa sign a few school-related forms for Marlene and Denzel while the latter two did their homework, then headed into his office to sort through his future deliveries. He managed to finish everything before sunset, just in time to take Tifa to the battle square.

The four of them rode the truck toward the southeastern border of Edge and stopped it upon reaching a seemingly inauspicious building that blended in well with its surroundings. As soon as the door opened though, the sight of two familiar faces instantly told the adults that they were in the right place.

"Heyo, the main event has arrived!" one shouted.

Tifa internally grimaced. Of all the faces she hoped to see, these two were at the bottom of her list.

Scotch and Kotch.

"Edge's power couple," Kotch remarked. "We had a feeling it was only a matter of time before you found your way here. Welcome to Battle Square East, an extension of the Gold Saucer Battle Square."

"Glad to be here," came Cloud's deadpan reply. Tifa knew he had to put on a polite face in front of Marlene and Denzel, but his tone of voice also left no doubt that he was letting their greeters know he would not be intimidated if they were to try anything funny.

The reception area they were in was nothing fancy. The walls were pure dark gray with no decorations. Plants were completely absent. Scotch and Kotch stood behind a narrow counter with two doors that led elsewhere along the back wall. There was another door off to the side, and a young woman appeared just as Tifa looked in that direction.

"This young lady will escort any non-participants to the stands," Scotch informed. "You can go with her now."

Cloud turned to face Tifa, who gave him a confident smile and nod before she even allowed herself to take in his questioning expression. She could sense his hesitation about leaving her alone, but he still took Marlene's and Denzel's hands and followed the guide through the side door.

"All right, Tifa, the rules for Battle Square East are the same as the ones at the Gold Saucer," Kotch was speaking before the side door had even closed. "It's gauntlet style. You go in there, and you'll be facing a series of battles against random enemies pulled from a preset pool. Win a round and a random handicap is placed on you before the next round. To complete the challenge, you'll have to win eight rounds in a row. Should you get defeated, someone will come out and use cure materia to help you recover. You can tap out at any time by simply signaling that you want out. Any questions?"

"Uh…not really," Tifa managed to utter, still trying to fully absorb every word that Kotch had just rapidly fired in her direction.

"Great, then Scotch and I will lead you to the arena," Kotch informed. "Follow us."

The two lackeys opened one of the doors along the back wall and stepped through, beckoning Tifa to follow. The instant the three of them were inside, the lights came on to reveal a corridor that angled downward, signaling that the arena was somewhere deep underground. It made sense to Tifa considering there was no sign of an arena when they approached the building from the outside, and it was fitting given the location of the old colosseum at Wall Market that Scotch and Kotch once worked at.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Scotch asked her. "Man, I still remember when you sauntered into Corneo's mansion two years ago in that pretty purple dress, telling us you wanted to audition."

Tifa sighed, partly knowing there was a chance they would bring up that moment. She was not bothered by it, since she still had the same mental fortitude as she did that night when she walked straight into the lion's den with enough confidence that she would fight her way out if trouble started, but it did annoy her that he mentioned it so casually.

"You definitely were a standout," Kotch added. "I can't believe the Don didn't pick you and instead got fooled by Cloud."

"Thought I'd scored big when Kotch brought you to us," Scotch remarked. "Then you put a foot in my face. That was the night I learned the true meaning of pain."

"Thanks, I guess?" Tifa responded apathetically. She had no idea what either of them was hoping to gain from speaking to her this way, and frankly, she did not care.

A brief moment of silence fell on the three as they continued their walk down the corridor. Tifa wanted to ask if any member of the Trio was in attendance simply to steer the conversation in a different direction, but Kotch was the first to break it before she could get her words out.

"Heard your bar's doing pretty well," he said. "I gotta ask though: how does someone go from saving the world one day to running a bar the next?"

"Seems a bit beneath your level, isn't it?" Scotch added.

Tifa neither wanted nor cared to give them any answers.

"It's a long story," she replied in the same indifferent tone, hoping they would pick up on it. "I'll tell you another time."

"Right, focus is important to a fighter," Scotch commented with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Didn't mean to take that off you."

Tifa slightly shook her head and said nothing more. A few steps later, the three of them found themselves exiting the corridor and into the arena. The lights were bright, and while the place was nowhere near full, there were quite a few spectators in the stands. Tifa made a quick visual scan of the colosseum, and while it was impossible for her to make out every face, she did catch a glimpse of several people who had visited her bar and left an impression, including a few regulars. There was no sign of the Trio, although she did not expect them to be there seeing as how this was only an exhibition fight for her and not some ranked tournament. She finally spotted Cloud with Marlene and Denzel sitting and cheering loudly a few rows up to the right of where she entered, and she made sure to smile and wave at them to acknowledge their encouragement.

As she stared ahead at the other entrance where her gauntlet foes were likely to show up from, Tifa's mind thought back to the first time she had set foot solo into one of these arenas.

The giant text reading "THE BRAVE DO NOT FEAR THE GRAVE" stared back at her from the arena floor while she steeled herself for her first foe. She would be lying if she said there were no nerves at all, but she never hesitated to challenge herself in combat, and she felt ready for this one after witnessing Cloud conquer it not too long ago.

The championship belt was a prize that was too powerful to not acquire. Tifa, always on the lookout for ways to better contribute, knew that equipping one would make her an even bigger asset for the team. It was why, after Cloud had done his part in winning a few new materia, Tifa offered to challenge the Gold Saucer Battle Square herself. Cloud's overprotective side was not fond of the idea at first, but Tifa continued insisting. Eventually, he caved, but she agreed to allow him to train her in preparation.

The decision paid off. He helped her equip her gear with the proper materia, giving her pointers on when to use each one for maximum efficiency. He also shared his most useful tips on how to sweep through enemy groups in minimal time. Tifa still had her reservations about Cloud's strange memories and behavior, but he never seemed hesitant at all whenever their conversations turned to topics about combat.

The first enemies revealed themselves: two mono drives. Within seconds, Tifa had them battered and beaten. Her first handicap also did not have a large effect, as the arena only slightly decreased her damage dealt.

As the battles continued and her handicaps piled up, each set of enemies became more difficult to defeat. It was here that Tifa started increasingly relying on Cloud's tips to get her through her rounds, knocking the enemies down with an ease that surprised even her. It would not be until the final round that she would face her lone significant challenge, having to fight a harpy without any materia or mana. Thankfully, Cloud had briefed her on the beast, suggesting that she work on its middle head from close range and timing her evasions of the other heads' attacks so that they would wind up striking the middle one for her as she dodged.

"They may be three-headed, but they're not too bright," she remembered Cloud's words. "Watch them cast aqualung on you and end up hitting themselves with it."

She was almost exhausted by then, but she still had enough energy to pull the stunt off, and when the harpy fell minutes later, Tifa walked out of the arena and claimed her championship belt.

Later, despite Tifa openly giving him her verbal gratitude for his help in front of the rest of their group, Cloud refused to claim credit, humbly insisting that Tifa had managed to do it all herself.

Cloud's aid had helped then, and it was certainly helping her again now. Tifa had zero trouble sweeping through her first seven rounds and now found herself face to face with her final match: a hell rider VR2. Once again, she would have to face her last battle without the aid of any magic or materia.

As the round started, she instantly leaped forward toward the rider. Just as she had predicted, it launched its iron mallet attack at her first. Tifa watched the mallet come straight down toward the spot she was running in the direction of, knowing exactly where it would land. At the last second, she pivoted away from the spot, leaving no time for her foe to pull its attack back. The moment the hammer struck the arena floor, Tifa jumped atop it and blazed her way up its handle, and before the hell rider could react, she landed a five-punch combo on his hand, depriving him of his weapon.

The rider immediately tried to strike at her with an electromag attack to push her back, but Tifa was too quick on her feet and easily avoided the attack's radius by jumping into the air and allowing the attack to run its course. She landed atop the beast behind the rider just as the electromag finished, putting her in ample position to hit her foe with another flurry of punches that it was in no position to defend.

The combination of her speed and power overwhelmed the rider in seconds as he fell from the beast's back. In desperation, he threw an elbow that struck Tifa in the abdomen, causing her to tumble off the beast as well. Little did he realize that it was exactly what Tifa had hoped for, having built up her limit throughout the first seven rounds just for this moment. With her limit break activated, Tifa utterly destroyed the beast and any remnants of its rider.

There was nothing but quiet when the two bodies hit the arena floor for the last time, dissolving into the Lifestream seconds later.

"Tifa survives the gauntlet!" Scotch's voice blared over the loudspeaker.

The small crowd stood up and gave her a loud cheer that echoed off the arena's walls, and for the first time since she had noticed Cloud and the children in the stands, Tifa allowed herself to relax and smile. It had been ages since she was able to string together a successive chain of victories over her foes like this, and while she understood that the beasts she faced this evening were not necessarily the planet's strongest, they had still awakened a part of her fighting spirit that had been in hibernation for quite some time.

"Tifa!" she heard Denzel's cry.

She turned in the direction it was coming from and saw both children running toward her with Cloud walking behind them. They leaped into her arms upon arrival, and she returned their hugs of affection with equal vigor, thrilled that they were the first ones to greet and congratulate her instead of Scotch and Kotch. Cloud came up soon after and wrapped his arms around everyone, and the whole family simply stood there in the middle of the arena to bask in the moment for a few seconds.

Cloud was not the best at reading body language, but even he could tell that participating in the arena had brought something out of Tifa. Since the end of the fight, she had yet to stop smiling. Along the way back to Seventh Heaven, when the children were asking her questions about how she defeated each enemy, she showed no reluctancy in explaining exactly what she did. Tifa Lockhart was always positive and encouraging, but rarely at this high of a level, and she was hardly ever this talkative and overtly descriptive when it came to specific details.

Marlene and Denzel quickly washed, brushed, and went to bed upon arriving home, knowing they had school the next day. Cloud took some time organizing his delivery receipts and was about to head to the bathroom to prepare for bed when a knock at his office door diverted his attention.

"Hey," came Tifa's voice, and Cloud looked up to see her already in her nightgown.

"Hey, Teef, what's up?" he asked, not taking his eyes off her.

"I just wanted to thank you again for helping me train," she answered. "The fights felt so easy tonight."

Cloud's face had curved into a smile before he could even think about a response.

"It was all you, Tifa," he told her. "I just served as your punching bag."

She gave him a slight laugh at his words while walking in and taking a seat on his bed. It seemed like there was something else she wanted to say, but she decided instead to hold back. Not one to be discouraged though, Cloud approached and sat next to her, and the two found themselves in a similar position to where they were a few weeks ago when she admitted her doubts about her waning strength to him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the fight seemed to have uplifted your spirits," Cloud casually remarked to break the silence.

"You are definitely not wrong," Tifa responded with another smile, and Cloud could tell that it was genuine and not forced.

"Do you want to do it again?" he asked. "I could sign you up for next week if you're up for it. Dio said it would get harder as the challenger progressed though, just like it did for us back at the Gold Saucer."

"I'll do it," she replied, this time without any pause.

She tilted her head upward to look at him, and just as quickly as she had answered, she brought her lips up to his. Unlike the other night several weeks ago, instead of a quick peck, she held her kiss for several seconds while he returned it. He did not understand what exactly she meant by this gesture, but he was glad that there was no awkwardness between them this time. When they broke the kiss, their smiles remained.

"Thank you again, Cloud," she said in a softer voice. "It was your belief in me that night right here that guided me through the colosseum today."

"Tifa…" he sighed in response. Accepting praise from her was never going to be easy.

"I mean it," she cut him off before he had a chance to put himself down again, but did not say anything else.

A brief, comfortable silence fell between the two of them, and Cloud took this moment to loop his arm around her and give her a tight squeeze as a gesture of appreciation. He felt that it was the least he could offer her after she had come to his office and thanked him twice.

He looked down and saw her eyelids slightly start to drop.

"Tifa, you're tired," he commented. "You should get some rest, especially after a day like today."

"Yeah, I should," she agreed, and they stood up together.

He noticed that her pace was slightly languid while she was walking toward the door and out of his room. He was about to ask her what was the matter, but she spoke first.

"Hey, Cloud?" she asked while turning around to look back at him.

"Yeah?" he replied.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. He thought about reassuring her that she could trust him with whatever she wanted to tell him, but once again, he was one step behind her.

"Never mind," she said, slightly shaking her head. "It's not important. We can talk about it another time."

He felt a twinge of disappointment, but he let it slide, trusting her decision instead of pushing her for answers.

"All right," he responded. "Good night, Tifa."

"Good night, Cloud," she remarked, walking back to her bedroom.

His curious side could not help but ponder for a moment at what exactly she was about to say, but he quickly dismissed it, satisfied with the overall results of the evening. He had helped her regain the fortitude that she thought she had lost, and with her full confidence returning, he promised to himself that he would continue to steer her in the same uplifting direction.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I do not have a timetable for when each chapter will be released. Sometimes, I might get them out quickly. Other times, it could take a while. Rest assured though that I will continue to work on this story. As I've mentioned before, the plot is already finished; right now, it's simply a matter of filling in the details and guiding it in a satisfactory manner toward its conclusion.

Thank you all for being so supportive with your readership and feedback! Please don't hesitate to share any of your thoughts with me. Until next time!