By a Fraction of a Degree
A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129
Rated T for Violence and Language.
I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spin-offs That honor goes to Square-Enix.
On the Way to a New Future (Interlude)
Chapter 50, Let There Be Light (Case of Tifa, Phase One)
April 8th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008
Tifa was working in the kitchen of Seventh Heaven, humming to herself as she washed dishes and cleaned used glasses. Today would be an exciting day. Freya was bringing Reeve back from Rocket Town with the Tiny Bronco so they could test a small sample of oil that they had found on-site at the power station on Tanis Island. The refining process had just been successfully completed, and they had just enough fuel for a few small barrels.
It had been a long time in coming. From the day when the local villagers had helped them set up the frame for the building in which she would house her establishment to the moment when the sign had been raised on the roof and even now, as she heard the sounds from the shed just to the side of the building where Cloud was working on a special project of his own, she couldn't help but feel peaceful yet excited at the same time.
It had been about a month or two previously when Cloud finally turned Tanis Island over to his second in command and returned to the lodge, and Zack had almost immediately sent him on a mission to North Corel to find out what the general feeling among the townspeople there was. It had been somewhat muted, even compared to Gongaga's simple inability to defend themselves, but when he had returned a few days later, she was surprised to see he had returned with a few parcels. Tifa had been even more surprised when he placed them all down on the bar. Upon her questioning look, he reached for one bundle in particular, and produced a bottle of Corel Wine. "It's not much, but think of it as a contribution."
She'd smiled as they opened the rest of the packages revealing a variety of foodstuffs that she had promptly taken to the icebox in the kitchen. That night, everyone present at the lodge had come and they'd had a nice quiet dinner together, and shared the wine among all who were old enough. They had declared the new Seventh Heaven officially open for business the next day…
Over the next few weeks or so, Zack had occasionally sent Cloud on other missions, and he'd continued the trend of bringing back extra supplies for the bar whenever he could. It was through this chain of events that the term 'Strife Delivery Service' had become something of a euphemism at the lodge for Cloud's secret missions. The door opened behind her and she saw Aerith walking in with a basket of flowers. She'd taken to bringing a few in for the tables, once she'd gotten enough of them growing at the lodge.
"Good morning!" she called cheerily.
Tifa nodded in reply, and watched as the flower girl came over and gathered some small bud vases from a cabinet behind the bar. "How are preparations coming?" she asked.
"Freya says she's almost to the island and Reeve should have the test barrels ready by this afternoon," Aerith answered.
Tifa nodded sparing a moment to watch the flower girl as she filled the vases with water and delicately arranged a few of the yellow blooms in each one before setting them around the bar. Already the sunbeams coming in from the windows looked brighter with the yellow blooms around the room. She paused to take a sniff appreciatively as Aerith put one of the vases in the middle of the bar. There was definitely something calming about the fragrance.
The ambiance of the room was suddenly interrupted by several clanging sounds coming from beyond a wall. Tifa walked to the door to the outside and called "Cloud? Was that you?"
The man in question stuck his head out the door of the shed. "Knocked over some tools."
Tifa nodded and left it at that. Cloud wasn't going to explain, and she wouldn't make him. She walked back inside to resume her work as Aerith went back to positioning the very last vase. "Oh, that reminds me," the flower girl said after a moment. "Zack wanted to know how long Cloud was going to be here. There was apparently something he wanted to talk to him about."
"He'll probably be here a while," Tifa said. "That project of his has kept him pretty busy and he couldn't work on it at the lodge."
Aerith grinned. They had both been mystified by Cloud's attraction to the large motorcycle, but the story was that after a mission to Kalm during which he'd been shot at while riding a chocobo, much to his concern for the bird, he'd decided he needed a less vulnerable means of transportation. While looking around for alternatives, he'd found something alluring about the machine as it sat outside the home of one of their contacts and thanks to the money he'd saved up through mercenary jobs prior to chasing Sephiroth, he'd managed to have just enough to purchase it. The last week or so had been spent fixing up the vehicle so that it could run the way it was supposed to. Naturally the other guys had been all for it and it hadn't been uncommon for Zack and Kunsel to join him in there.
"Did you know, he's given it a name?" Tifa continued as an afterthought.
"Really?" Aerith gave her a perplexed look.
"Apparently he's calling it Fenrir."
Aerith giggled. "I think it's cute," she said as she gathered up her basket and other belongings. "Anyway, I should be getting back. You'll be there for the big test tonight, won't you?"
TIfa nodded. "Of course. We'll see you there."
The flower girl left soon after and Tifa turned her attention to taking inventory of the storeroom.
Later that afternoon, Cloud finished working in the shed and the two of them headed back to the lodge so he could clean off the grease stains. Tifa was waiting for him in the living room, when she spotted Zack in the kitchen, looking deep in thought. Curious, she glanced through the door and noticed he was holding a small box in his hand and after a second, he nervously flipped it open, looking at the contents. Said contents caught the light from the window and she took a few steps closer to see.
Nestled in the black felt, glittered a single band of mythril, on which was set a delicately cut clear diamond. It wasn't ridiculously gaudy, nor was it plain by any means, and the way he handled it clearly indicated that it was special.
Upon her approach, Zack looked up and the box clicked shut before he stuffed it back in his pocket like it was a piece of contraband. "Is something wrong?" Tifa asked.
Zack grinned to cover his surprise, and shook his head. "Nothing," he looked around to make sure no one was in earshot before walking by her and whispering "You didn't see anything, okay?"
That was when it dawned on her just what he had meant, and pretended to be more interested in a plate of grapes that sat on the counter for those who cared to nibble on them as they passed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Zack gave her a look of gratitude as he walked outside. "That's what I want to hear." He paused and then leaned back through the doorway. "We need to get going soon. The boat's gonna take about an hour to get there and we don't want to keep them waiting."
It was hardly a few minutes later when Tifa and Cloud joined Kunsel, Aerith, and Zack, along with Marlene, Barret, and Jessie, down at the harbor. Once everyone was assembled, they met with the fisherman who was taking them out to the island and soon, everyone boarded and the boat pulled out to sea. The ride was pleasant and smooth and Tifa watched the seagulls overhead in the dying light of sunset, minding the small bundle she carried with her, since it contained some fragile items.
To her surprise, Cloud was out there with her, and he seemed perfectly comfortable. Maybe all the jostling from riding around in the helicopter had cured his motion sickness after all. They didn't talk much, but it was all right. The others more than made up for it, chatting about what Reeve had planned for the evening.
"So he's actually going to try and light up the whole island?" Aerith asked.
"That's what he says. We've got patrols all over the area of course since we don't want Shinra to make the lights a target, but he says that for a few hours, he's going to run the plant and see if the test barrels are refined enough to create the kind of output we want. If it is then that means he's found the right mix and we can have Cid set his equipment in Rocket Town to refine it to those standards," Kunsel said.
"And after that, we go into full production," Zack said. "If we can get this going, it'll open so many more options for people. And then there's all that stuff Reeve was telling us about what he thinks he can do with the leftovers."
Barret said. "Ya mean how he can actually make plastic?"
"Yeah," Kunsel nodded. "Shinra was keeping the secret to that under lock and key, but if the refineries in Rocket Town get it right then we've got ourselves some extra materials to work with."
"Now that's really interesting," Aerith said. "I hope it works."
Sometime later the boat pulled up to the docks and Tifa saw that Freya was waiting for them. The lady Turk waved as everyone disembarked and walked a little closer. "Glad you finally made it. Reeve's almost set. He's got the first barrel on a controlled burn and he'll be adding the next one soon. Once the fire's hot enough, well, I guess we'll see what happens."
"Great," Zack stretched his good arm and fell in step with her when she gestured that they follow her up the hill. The assault had been pretty simple thanks to their careful planning, and if Tifa hadn't heard the account of taking the power station, she never would have believed this was a battlefield. They walked along a path through a stand of trees and past some bushes, most likely the same ones Cloud's squad had sheltered in while waiting for the signal to move, and up to the main entrance. Freya led them to a tidy lounge area. Inside the room, the furniture had all been moved to the walls so the eye was drawn to a single light bulb in the middle of the ceiling, underneath which had been placed a small table covered with wires. However, the most prominent item on the table was a switch that had been specially wired for the occasion.
Freya walked over to a radio that had been hooked up to a generator and picked up the handset. "Cid, do you read?"
"Loud and clear! What the hell's takin' you so long?" Cid and Shera hadn't thought it prudent to leave Rocket Town at this particular moment, but had wanted to maintain a presence at the event just the same.
"Everyone's here," Freya answered. "We're just waiting on Reeve."
"He's comin' lads." Everyone looked over at the door to see Cait Sith walk in. "He's just checkin' the turbines. He'll be here in just a moment."
The little cat hopped up on the table and sat down, his booted feet hanging over the side. A series of candles lit the room dimly even as the sun was beginning to set over the horizon outside a small window. A couple of minutes passed as they waited and then, at long last, the man of the hour arrived. Dressed in a pair of suit pants but with his coat off revealing that he'd rolled up his shirt sleeves, Reeve walked in. "So everyone's here?"
"Unless we left someone back on the mainland, and I'm pretty sure that didn't happen," Zack answered.
Everyone offered their greetings as it had been a while since most of them had seen Reeve, and then with the departure of the last of the light from the sun, the moment arrived. Reeve deliberately walked over to the table and everyone gathered around. "When I throw this switch," he said. "Every single light in the facility, along with this light here," he gestured to the bulb above them, "should become active. So… cross your fingers." He reached out with both hands and pulled the switch down.
As soon as it was thrown, everyone looked around in surprise. Not only was the one light bulb lit, and constantly glowing, but several other lights had also activated, bringing a warm glow into the room. The lights surrounding them were nothing to the elation on their faces and Tifa, in the heat of the moment, brought her hand out and found Cloud's. He looked down at her in surprise though no one seemed to notice what had passed between them as Zack lifted Aerith up in a joyful one armed hug and Barret was showing Marlene one of the tiny, light-giving bulbs. They stood there for about a minute, with the light driving back the dark and then Cid cleared his throat over the radio.
"What's goin' on down there? Did it work or did you all drop dead from electrocution?"
Zack walked over to the radio, his right arm still around Aerith and reached down with his left. "We have light!" he reported. "I repeat, we have light. Commence production as soon as you're ready."
It was at that moment when Tifa produced a surprise out of the bundle she'd been carrying. Two bottles of wine from one of Costa Del Sol's best vineyards. Cloud had brought them home with him on his last mission. Wine glasses were distributed, (even to Marlene, though hers was filled with grape juice), and they spent a couple of hours celebrating before they started towards home.
April 9th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008
The next evening, Tifa was working at the bar when the door swung wide open and Zack and Aerith walked in. She didn't need to be a mind reader to know something special had happened tonight. Their expressions were both too misty for what had just happened to be anything but what she was certain had occurred. Their eyes were only for each other, and the ring she'd seen Zack contemplating in the kitchen was now securely around Aerith's finger. "Hey you two," she said. "What can I get you?"
Zack looked up and grinned, and in a voice softer than she'd ever heard from him, he said "Is there any of that wine from last night left?"
"Enough for two glasses," Tifa said.
"Just enough," Zack replied. He and Aerith walked over to a booth and Tifa did her best to make sure the two of them had a good meal and their drinks were filled without getting in their way while they spent most of the evening talking. As tempting as it was to ask, she was pretty sure Aerith would give her the details when the moment was right and she kept herself busy with the other bar patrons so she wouldn't be too tempted to spy on them.
April 10th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008
Later that night, Zack and Aerith had already left for the evening, and Tifa had just finished cleaning up for the night. It was in the early morning hours and after closing down the bar for the night, she walked along the empty road towards the familiar path back to the lodge. She walked along for a while until she found her way to the helicopter landing and across it, following the now familiar path of stones until she had reached the main building. She had entered the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water before planning to go to bed when she noticed someone standing out on the porch. Wandering over to the door, she caught sight of the familiar blue glow of Clouds eyes. He was seated in his usual place, leaning against one of the porch's support posts, and looking out at the clearing, his face and hair almost white in the dim light from the stars. "What are you doing up?" she asked.
Cloud shrugged. "Just thinking."
Tifa took a seat next to him on the step. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked.
"All right…" They sat there for some time in silence when Tifa felt her eyelids begin to droop and after a short while, she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. A chill autumn breeze played across her exposed arm and she shivered slightly, but then Cloud put his arm around her.
She opened her eyes a little to look up at him and he looked right back at her as though not sure what to do in this situation, his glowing eyes questioning her out of the dark. She smiled shyly. Neither could say afterward who had leaned in first, but at some point, their lips met, and she felt his arm tighten around her, pulling her closer, until she was almost on his lap.
After that, most of what she remembered were sensations. The feel of his warm hands on her back through her shirt, the warmth of his breath, his soft lips against her own, and the silk of his gravity defying hair as it threaded through her fingers. At some point, she felt that cold breeze again, and they spared a moment to relocate to the couch in the living room, but barely a few minutes after curling up together, they fell asleep.
The first thing Tifa was aware of was the sound of a familiar chuckle and then the smell of coffee. The next thing she became aware of was a light tap on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she found herself still on the couch, and Aerith looking down at her. "Sorry to wake you," she said with a conspiratorial whisper, "But the others will be coming in any moment and… we thought you might not want the attention…"
"Yeah you two. I mean really, you were pretty adorable lying there, but we figured it was only fair to warn you." She saw another figure standing behind the flower girl and heard Zack's voice attached to it. It was at that moment that Tifa blinked, and suddenly remembered what had happened last night and tried to sit up, blushing furiously. That was when she became aware of Cloud's arm, which had been draped over her shoulder and soon discovered it was rather heavy. The two onlookers chuckled as she tried to untangle herself.
Feeling her stir, Cloud also sat up behind her and the two of them took stock of their situation, horror dawning at the fact that they really had slept through the night, in each other's arms, in a very public part of the lodge where anyone walking through would notice them.
Cloud had not been wearing any armor last night, but his clothes were definitely wrinkled in places. Upon taking inventory of her own appearance, Tifa realized that her suspenders had fallen from her own shoulders and while thankfully her important articles of clothing were still in place, it was not by much and if they lingered too much longer around here, the evidence of what had happened last night would be all too apparent to the lodge's other residents. She felt her face get even more flushed and she hurried to go back to the room she shared with Aerith, and set about tidying herself up as Zack went back to making coffee and Aerith set about getting breakfast going. Cloud was not far behind her, though he disappeared into his own room when they reached the top of the stairs.
When she returned to the living room, her skirt traded out for a pair of cargo shorts, she could hear Aerith happily chatting away with Elmyra in the kitchen. "After we left you here at the lodge he took me out to the beach and suddenly he just started talking about the sky and possibilities. We were looking out at the sea and then the next thing I knew, I'd turned around, and he was holding this ring. Then he said 'Those five years I was gone, and all that time I spent getting back to you, what I wanted more than anything, was to grant that one big wish, and those little twenty three as much as you want. Aerith, I love you so much. Will you marry me?'"
Elmyra was clearly impressed and Tifa smiled as she listened. Zack did seem like the type not to go half measure on such things, and the romantic in her heart said he'd hit all the right notes. She walked past them to get a cup of coffee and then walked outside to find Zack talking to Kunsel. "To tell the truth, I was thinking we could have the wedding in about a month. We talked it over and we thought since Yuffie's been having a hard time in Wutai, we'd have our honeymoon there, and try to help her out talking to her dad."
Kunsel looked concerned. "Are you sure that'll work? I mean, Godo could very easily turn you in."
Freya spoke up at that point. "The thing is, Yuffie's a Shinra war criminal too now, he could have done that already. But it's his daughter and she told him what happened with Sephiroth. One thing she's been telling us is that he wants to meet GUARDIAN's leader, so this is the perfect opportunity. It could be a show of trust. And we need that safe passage on the western shore."
"I guess that makes sense," Kunsel said. "But I still think it's risky."
"So do I, but we need something to happen and he's been stalling way too long," Zack said. "I wasn't quite sure I wanted to plan things that way either since this is supposed to be special, but Aerith agreed that we need to do something, and we should still get a little time to ourselves."
Tifa heard movement behind her and saw Cloud had appeared, having changed into a pair of black pants and a dark blue sleeveless sweater that zipped up in the front. Zack looked up and grinned upon noticing his return. "Just the guy I want to see."
Cloud looked up in surprise as Zack approached. "What is it?"
Zack walked a little closer. "Well, since Aerith and I are getting married, I'm kind of in need of a best man."
Not a particularly action-heavy chapter, in fact by comparison to most of this story it's probably rather fluffy. But I hope it turned out okay.
And hey, this is chapter 50. Wow, how time does fly.
Next time we're following Zack as he and Aerith go adventuring in Wutai... oh yeah... and in case you didn't notice there's going to be a wedding! ^^
See ya next week!