There, the family dismounted Aurum and looked around. There was a nearby forest containing a small pond, where the flies flew for their lives, as the frogs captured them with their tongues, and took them into their digestive lair, never for them to escape again. Marlene watched this cruel practice in fascination, as she crouched down beside Denzel, remaining neutral to the forces of nature.
Up by the hill, Cloud and Tifa sat by the side of the tree, whilst Aurum roamed free. There the couple spoke about the chocobo stable plans near Seventh Heaven and watched Aurum run towards Marlene and Denzel, who ran out of the forest with the gold chocobo.
"Ah, it's good to get out," Cloud said, turning to Tifa "no worldwide travel, no noisy bar, no school, we're getting out as a family."
Cloud and Tifa stared each other in the eyes, as the sounds of the planet filled the atmosphere around them, and not a word was spoken from their mouths. Slowly, their lips moved towards each other before meeting, concealing.
As Denzel and Marlene rode Aurum, they witnessed their foster parents kiss and watched before they continued their ride. Cloud and Tifa took no note of their juvenile visit as they continued their passionate kiss.
Sadly, as they separated, they heard a deep and evil laugh from their side. Cloud and Tifa gasped as they saw it was a man whom they knew all too well. Cloud got out his fusion sword as he approached the man.
"You!" Cloud said, pointing his sword at him, "What are you doing here?"
The man laughed and said, "Following you, of course. Now, since you're here, I might as well tell you everything, Cloud Strife!"
The man's words were like a bow that shot an arrow into Cloud's heart, as he fell back, but Tifa caught him. She put her gloves on, as Cloud asked the stranger "How do you know my name?"
"You don't remember, Cloud?" he asked, "Very well, I am Dugald, a former Shinra employee. I met you in SOLDIER training ten years ago, when you were trying to become one. I was a friend of Sephiroth's, Zack's too. I even told the Shinra army where he was running to when he was around Midgar."
"Dugald… Shinra employee…" Cloud said, trying to recall, "You! now I remember! You were that commander who mocked me for being thin, and socially withdrawn! And you're telling me that you were the cause of my best friend's death too? Zack had a girlfriend; he was going to Midgar to see her, and all because of you, she was broken."
"Ah, too bad, so sad," Dugald said, "I wouldn't want to break another girl's heart now, wouldn't I! Instead, I'm going to steal one!"
Tifa readied her fists, as Dugald revealed a gunblade from his back, with the barrel spanning the full length of the blade, which was around twenty centimetres in length. He pointed it at both Cloud and Tifa, who approached him and began to engage in combat. Despite only being a small blade, Dugald's weapon parried Cloud and Tifa's attacks effortlessly as he began to counterattack.
Dugald was off-balanced by Tifa's somersault but regained his strength for his gunblade to skate around Cloud's fusion sword, but not penetrate the courier's skin. Whilst focussing on Cloud, Tifa attempted to grab him only to be knocked off, nearly tumbling down the hill before Cloud grabbed her hand. The blade nearly danced over their skin, as they grabbed hands, but were back on track moments later.
This time, they fought rougher, as Tifa attempted to overtake Dugald's lead with an uppercut to the chin, only to be met by a small cut on her wrist. Immediately after the cut, Tifa's world started to swing back and forth, as Cloud peered at the two linking holes in the blade to see a faint green glow, as well as a faint blue one.
"Seal materia! Along with elemental!" Cloud shouted before his bicep was scratched. Cloud too began to feel dizzy and collapsed next to Tifa's already downed body, as the world began to darken around him. He saw Dugald's hand reach down to grab Tifa's body and lift her over his shoulder before his vision faded into oblivion.
Cloud found himself in a nightmare where he ran, Tifa's hand in his. Looking back, it was Dugald chasing the couple with his gunblade, as he slowly caught up with them. Soon Cloud and Tifa found themselves at a dead-end, surrounded by the terraforming of a cliff, as Dugald laughed.
"Heh, heh, heh," Dugald said, "I've got you now, Cloud and Tifa!"
Instead of hearing the sound of a gunshot, however, Cloud heard a faint squawking, screaming "Kweh! Kweh!" and as Cloud woke up, still slightly doused by his sleepel episode, he saw Aurum's face only centimetres away from his, with the children still riding.
Cloud got up slowly as he rubbed his head, and asked, "Aurum, Marlene, Denzel, what happened to me, and where's Tifa?"
"You mean to don't know where she is?" Marlene cried, "Cloud, we saw that man take Tifa away, and we didn't know what to do!"
"Wait, I remember now!" Cloud exclaimed, "You know that man who attacked me? He's a former Shinra employee! I saw him kidnap Tifa before I passed out!"
Cloud pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled.
"Yes?" a brooding voice asked.
"Vincent!" Cloud yelled, "Tifa's been kidnapped! I need you to take care of the kids. I'm about ten kilometres from Junon."
"I'll be there soon," Vincent said.
"Vincent," Cloud said, "Why are you speaking so quietly?"
"Because…" Vincent said, before hanging up.
"I'm right here!" A deep voice said from the tree. Down came a dark-haired man in a red cape. Enter Vincent Valentine, an old friend of Cloud's appeared and said: "You needed me for something? Consider it done!"
"Thank you, Vincent," Cloud said, "take Marlene and Denzel back home. I'll head straight there when Tifa's rescued."
"You have my word," Vincent said, as Cloud mounted Aurum. He waved Vincent and the children off when he started to race down the hill, towards Fort Condor. There Cloud was told by the residents that they saw a dark-haired man running off with a woman, who was kidnapped supposedly to be his bride. He was headed into the gorge, they said.
Cloud shook his fist at the thought of Tifa being Dugald's bride. He asked the residents for the box of materia he'd always left in their care, which the fort men willingly gave to him, thanking him for letting them borrow it for monster raids.
With the materia, Cloud continued his journey, strutting through the northern continent, over the mountains and swamp, where he easily defeated the Midgar zolom blocking his path. Cloud passed into a steep valley where he found a hideout, and when remembering and analysing the words of the men of Fort Condor, Cloud concluded, it must have been the place.
Tifa awoke, her hands bound in metal, as her world appeared blurry and out of focus. She whispered Cloud's name, as she tried to remember what had happened to her. Even her thoughts blurred before she could remember. All that was lost ran back to her brain when she tried in vain to break free from her bindings, which were attached to a wall without chains. Her arms were raised, as her legs flopped on the ground, creating an uncomfortable position.
"Cloud…" Tifa whispered to herself again, only to hear the laugh of a man.
It was Dugald, who came up to Tifa, his gunblade raising her chin. As he chuckled, his eyes aimed at her face, then shot down.
"You really are a bonnie lass," Dugald said, "Tifa Lockhart! You'll make a bonnie bride for me!"
Tifa growled at him. "Never!" she snapped, as she struggled, "Cloud will rescue me, you'll see! He made a promise to me ten years ago."
"Oh, how romantic…" Dugald said, mockingly, "alas, this 'promise' of yours will not be kept this time - he doesn't even know where we are. Now choose! It's either my hand or The Drop!"
The very name, The Drop shot through Tifa's heart like an icicle, as she heard a roar next to her. There she saw a red dragon, blocked by a row of iron bars. It looked at Tifa with its golden feline eyes, as if in anticipation, a message sent to Tifa, as she struggled further to break free from her prison.
Dugald laughed sadistically and said, "You look excited to marry me, Tifa. As they always say, when a girl says 'no', she means 'yes'!"
"No!" Tifa yelled, as Dugald approached her. He leaned into her face, as she held back and kicked him in the shin, warding him back. Dugald once again raised his gunblade up to Tifa's face, this time with his finger curled around the trigger.
"One more chance, sweetheart," Dugald, "Either my hand or The Drop. What is your choice?"
"Never!" Tifa said stubbornly, "Cloud will rescue me; you'll see!"
"Wrong answer!" Dugald shouted. With this, he shot her in the ankle and dropped her into sleep once again. She felt the pain as she attempted to scream but was silenced by her brain forcing her into a deep sleep, as she fell to the ground, her wrists now unbound.
Dugald grabbed her by the hair, lifting her ear to his mouth to say: "Heh heh heh, did you really think I only wanted you to be my bride? Fool, I really want to break Cloud, for it's the first step to reviving Sephiroth,"
Dugald laughed and dragged Tifa by her hair. In the process, he heard the door open and in came Cloud, with a look of anger painted on his red face. He called Tifa's name at the top of his lung, desperately. However, the opening of the door caused a can to fall and spray gas, which upon inhaling, caused Cloud's world to darken from an aura, as he collapsed, and whispered Tifa's name once again.
When Cloud woke up, he found his hands bound in cuffs, and the fusion sword and his materia were missing. He heard the laugh of Dugald over in the distance, as he turned around to see Dugald next to a row of long iron bars containing a red dragon, and above it, a small cage which held Tifa, who woke up and looked to Cloud's direction.
"Cloud, up here!" Tifa yelled as she supported herself.
"Tifa!" Cloud cried, "I'm sorry I'm late!"
"It's alright, Cloud," Tifa said, "All that matters is that you came. Cloud, I love you!"
"And so do I!" Cloud said, "I'll find a way to free myself."
Cloud tried to pull his hands out of the cuffs that dominated him, but the muscles of his forearms were off-angled, therefore spiking pain in Cloud's wrists. Dugald laughed as Cloud struggled and told him, "Oh, did I mention that I also sabotaged your motorcycle engine? Good luck breaking out of those cuffs; they're made from pure mythril."
At the quote, Cloud struggled angrily as Dugald continued with his sadistic laugh, "Now, prepare to witness your love being eaten by my dragon! You're gonna love it! Once I find where I left the remote."
Dugald left, as from the shadows came a high-pitched giggle. Cloud looked to his side to see a familiar face. She was a woman much younger than Cloud, and with her bob-cut hair in a bandana and oversized shuriken, he knew just who it was.
"Yuffie!" Cloud softly shouted, "What are you doing here?"
"Hi Cloud," Yuffie said, "I saw you going into here, and I came to thank you for the medicine. My father recovered two days ago, but I couldn't tell you because I had diarrhea. I'm all better now though,"
"Good," Cloud said, "Do you have a plan to get us out of here?"
Yuffie chuckled, as from her pocket she pulled out a remote control with an antenna sticking out, "I saw him use this on you. With this, I should be able to set you free, if only I can find the right button."
Yuffie navigated the remote and found a light blue button, which when pressed released Cloud from his shackles, as he tumbled to the floor. After helping Cloud to his feet, Yuffie disappeared once again but came back shortly after, with Cloud's unassembled fusion sword and box of materia.
"Thank you, Yuffie…" Cloud said, patting Yuffie's head. Cloud turned to the large gaol where the red dragon watched Cloud, rubbing his hands together, and licking his lips. He looked up to see Tifa, trembling in her cage as she reached out her hand in Cloud's direction, before being forced to pull back as the vicious teeth of the dragon threatened to liberate it from her body.
"Cloud!" Tifa said, "Quickly! Slay the dragon!"
Cloud nodded as he ran into the gaol, where he fully assembled his fusion sword, pointing it towards the dragon. The dragon approached Cloud, as the swordsman dodged the snap of the beast's oral blades. Cloud linked fire and elemental materia into his wrist, as the dragon breathed fire in Cloud's direction and came out alive.
Soon Dugald came out, frustratedly. Yuffie mockingly held the remote out, waving it in the air, as she said, "Looking for this?" Dugald saw that the prison shackles were empty. He then saw Cloud painting a lash on the dragon's skin, as the dragon captured him in his jaw.
Dugald turned back to Yuffie and yelled, "You give that back, you brat!" and attempted to grab her in a violent embrace, only for Yuffie to somersault and land on the other side. However, when she looked in her hand, she discovered that the remote had run off from her and onto the floor. Yuffie and Dugald centred around it and stood in a wrestling stance, beginning round one, as they got into position, and grabbed each other's hands.
In the meantime, Cloud took more impact from the dragon as he felt that he was just about to reach his breaking point, as the dragon curl his head around Tifa's cage, sniffing in her scent and licking her face. Tifa shuddered, as she navigated to get into Cloud's sight.
"Cloud!" she yelled, "In case we don't make it, I want you to know, I love you!"
"I love you too, Tifa!" Cloud said as he readied the fusion sword. Tifa blew him a kiss before Cloud focussed all his strength into a limit break. He jumped into the air, with his sword held high. With this, he dealt a powerful blow to the dragon, as the flames of his mouth shot up like a volcano, next to Tifa's cage, where the heat licked her skin, summoning sweat.
The dragon carcass tumbled to the ground as Cloud huffed and puffed. He then heard a rage race towards him. He saw Dugald's burning face rush towards Cloud, as Dugald ravaged Cloud but was blocked by the mighty steel of his fully assembled sword, falling back on impact.
"Go Cloud!" Yuffie cheered, as the men began to duel. As Dugald broke some of Cloud's skin, the unexpected happened. Instead of lapsing asleep, Cloud remained active, as Dugald looked to see that there was no materia lodged into his gunblade.
"Gahh!" Dugald groaned.
"Looking for these!" Yuffie mockingly yelled. In her fingers were the two materia, formerly residing in Dugald's gunblade. Yuffie logged the materia into her shuriken, in the linked holes. Dugald raged, as Yuffie threw her shuriken right towards his face, scraping his chin. Almost instantly, he yawned as he said, "You'll pay for that," and went plonk on the floor.
However, he resisted, as he tried to shoot Cloud. His flimsy aim proved lethal, as Cloud slashed him on the chest, sending an ear-shattering scream through the cave, his soul spilling into the lifestream.
"When a woman says no, she means no!" Cloud said.
Dugald woke up, surrounded by mako. As he turned around, he saw a beautiful woman, with her brunette hair plaited into a single braid, and her eyes green as the grass of Gaia. Almost immediately, Dugald took an attraction to her and said:
"Come to papa!"
"Get away from me!" the woman said, punching him in the face, "Shame on you, trying to flirt with a married woman…"
"Married?" Dugald asked, "Then where's your husband?"
"Oh, Zack!" the woman said cheerily. From the sky, a tall and handsome man with spikey black hair landed next to the woman.
"What is it, Aerith?" Zack asked.
"Husband," Aerith said, "If I remember correctly, isn't this the man who was responsible for your death?"
"Dugald?" Zack said, "Why yes, I believe he was. What do you suggest we do to him, for all the evil deeds he's done?"
"Let's see," Aerith said, "we could give him a lecture, run away, or beat him up, you tell me,"
"Why not all three?" Zack asked, turning to Aerith, "I could beat him up for all the pain he's caused you, I could lecture him about consent, and after that, I could carry you away from him. How about it?"
"Oh, Zack," Aerith said, "Go ahead."
Zack cracked his knuckles as he approached Dugald. He then held him by the collar of his shirt and made the first punch, saying, "This is for hurting my Aerith!" His second punch was for spawning Sephiroth back, the third for harassing Tifa, the fourth for kidnapping her, and the fifth for trying to break Cloud.
Once done, Professor Zack Fair began his lecture, "Before you make any advances towards a girl, there is one vital element that must be followed at all times. That element is consent. Consent is the permission granted for someone to do something, or an agreement to do something. At all times, consent must be informed, unforced, clarified, and openly communicated. To get consent, one must ask the person and inform them of what the activity will involve. It cannot be assumed! If that person says 'yes', then it's alright, if a person says 'no', (meaning that you shouldn't do it) then you are to refrain. Allow me to demonstrate."
Zack released Dugald's collar and approached Aerith, asking her, "Hey Aerith, may I give you a kiss?"
"You may!" Aerith said. Zack lovingly put his arms around his wife and dipped down to tenderly kiss her cherry-red lips. Aerith kissed back, putting her arms around his neck, as she stood on her toes.
As their lips parted, Aerith told Zack, "Thank you, Zack, I loved that,"
"No worries, Mrs Fair," Zack said, as he turned back to Dugald, "As you can see when I asked Aerith, she said 'yes' willingly and therefore allowed me to kiss her. Now see what happens when she says 'no' to something," As he returned his gaze to Aerith, Zack asked his wife, "Aerith, may I tickle you?"
"NO!" Aerith said firmly, "you know how much I hate being tickled,"
"Alright, I'll respect your boundaries," Zack said, as he patted Aerith's head. He then turned back to Dugald and said, "There, she said 'no', and therefore, I won't tickle her. Remember, consent must be informed, clarified, and openly communicated. It must not be assumed, forced, or deceived. Thank you very much for listening, and have a great afternoon, goodbye!"
After Professor Zack Fair concluded his lecture, he turned back to put an arm around Aerith's shoulder, as he walked away with her.
"You were great, Zack," Aerith said, "Now remember, you promised to carry me and run."
"I did?" Zack asked, teasingly, "Oh, Aerith, I'm so sorry, I forgot. I'll do that right now. I'd be a bad husband if I didn't!"
Zack stopped as Aerith put both arms over Zack's shoulder, allowing him to sink down and sweep her up off her feet as if to carry her over the threshold. Zack went running with Aerith in his arms, far away from Dugald who was left surrounded by no one, angry and humiliated.
But then, he turned around to see a man about as tall as him. He had long silver hair, snake-like eyes, and one black wing on his back. Dugald bowed down to him and said, "Sephiroth!"
"Dugald, you disappoint me," Sephiroth said, "However, I believe I can still make use of you. I have heard whispers of Cloud planning to propose to Tifa, therefore, I ask that you storm their wedding, and do what you want with Tifa, so long as you can break Cloud. However, if you fail, then you won't be getting another chance. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sephiroth!" Dugald said.
"Very well," Sephiroth said, "Then arise, Dugald!"
Sephiroth raised his masamune, pointing to a bright light.
Cloud breathed heavily as he disassembled the fusion sword, pushing Dugald's corpse away. Yuffie came to collect her shuriken and slung it over her back, then went to give a pat on Cloud's shoulder.
"You did great, Cloud," Yuffie said.
"Couldn't have done it without you, Yuffie," Cloud said to her, briefly, "Hey Tifa, how are you doing up there?"
"Cloud!" Tifa said, "I'm alright. I don't know how I can get out though."
Yuffie investigated the remote. In the centre, there was a large red button, reading 'do not touch' on the bottom. "Ooh, I wonder what this button does," Yuffie wondered as her brain possessed her to push it.
Upon pressing the button, the trap door of the cage dropped open, causing Tifa to fall out, screaming. Cloud positioned himself in an area where he could safely catch Tifa, as she landed safely in his arms. Upon landing, Cloud felt his arms tense, then noticed a wound on her knee as though from a gunshot, but without a bullet.
"Tifa, are you alright?" Cloud asked.
"Cloud, you kept your promise," Tifa said, "Thank you," With this, Cloud leaned in to give her a passionate kiss, as they both held each other.
"Cloud, Tifa, wait!" Yuffie came running over, hands in the air, as though running from policemen. She stopped at the step of Cloud, who broke away from the kiss with Tifa. Yuffie wheezed as she told him, "I'm sorry I pressed the button, I was curious. Here I'll make it up to you."
Yuffie held out her hand towards Tifa, and casted 'cura' healing her. In a flash, her wound was gone; Cloud looked better too, his wounds gone, and his breathing regulated. Yuffie giggled, showing a green and blue materia linked in her wristband.
"Thank you, Yuffie," Cloud said, "I couldn't have done it without you. Why don't you come to the bar with us?"
Yuffie willingly nodded, as Cloud put Tifa down. Before leaving, Cloud and Tifa searched around the cave, finding the area disorganised, with objects lying on the floor, and the tables messy, sometimes with the smell of alcohol spilled over patents, porter bottles scattered around the room. Cloud looked in a draw and found an engine with the symbol of a wolf engraved onto it.
"Fenrir's engine!" Cloud said, "So he did take it!"
Cloud got out his phone, dialling Cid's number.
"Cloud, perfect timing, I was just about to call you!" Cid said.
"Cid, I've got something to tell you!" Cloud said.
"And I've got something to tell you!" Cid said, "you go first,"
"Cid, I've just found Fenrir's engine!" Cloud said, "It was stolen by that man the whole time."
"Dagh, I knew there was something fishy about him all along!" Cid said, "Well, I've got some good news for you. The Fenrir is up and running again! I've installed a new engine, and I'll bring it over to the bar. Don't break it this time!"
"I won't," Cloud said, "Hey, while you're at it, could you get Barret over? I've just rescued Tifa, and now we've got five of us going to the bar; it'd be nice if everyone could make it."
"Sure," Cid said, "I'll be right over."
Cid hung up and turned to tell Tifa and Yuffie the news. The two cheered as they made it out of the cave. Yuffie broke up from Cloud and Tifa, choosing her hoverboard as her form of transport. After Yuffie flew away, Cloud lifted Tifa onto Aurum's saddle and mounted him in front. As he prepared to take off, Cloud felt Tifa's arms wrap around his abdomen, as her head lay on his shoulder.
As Aurum took off, Cloud reached up to pat Tifa on the head, as Aurum headed up to the cliffs, Midgar in view. Cloud looked behind himself, where Tifa brushed his hair aside, looking into his eyes, silently, as he patted her back in a circular motion. Turning back, Cloud coaxed Aurum to run down the hill, whilst Tifa held onto her partner's back for dear life, as the heights of the cliffs threatened to drop their stomachs, held on by merely their hearts through hard labour.
Soon the two were in the direction of the city of Edge, and on their side saw, they were being accompanied by Nanaki, who spoke no words to either of them. Aurum speeded the rest of his way to Seventh Heaven where he stopped abruptly, Nanaki too.
Down the street came Reeve, running towards Cloud, as Tifa was pulled off Aurum. The couple turned their attention to him, as he stopped.
"Cloud, Tifa," Reeve said, "Cid called me to come here. He said that you no longer needed Cait Sith's services."
"Oh, Reeve," Tifa said, "Thank you for coming. Cloud's just come back from rescuing me from the valley of Midgar, and we thought we'd all get together."
"Oh, I just came to tell you about that," Nanaki said, "I heard a roar there and I rushed to the city to inform you, only to find of course that you had just come back."
"Why don't you all come inside, and we'll have something to eat?" Tifa said. The door to Seventh Heaven was opened, where Marlene and Denzel turned excitedly to Cloud and Tifa, whom they smothered with hugs.
Vincent sighed and told them, "Yuffie came here to tell me that you were rescued. The kids were alright, they were excited to hear that you were alright. Don't worry, we know the story. She told us."
After Cid, Barret and a pregnant Shera arrived, Cloud and Tifa told everyone of what had happened that day.
Barret raged in the middle and asked, "What part of 'no' did that guy not understand! What an idiot!"
After the story, Cid asked Cloud, "Hey, want to see the Fenrir?"
Cloud nodded and went outside, where the Fenrir was rolled out of the Shera. Cloud observed the engine, perfectly tempered, and when comparing it to the old engine, Cloud ultimately preferred the new one.
"Thank you, Cid," Cloud said, "I'll return Aurum to the farm now, I think,"
"And remember," Cid said, "don't break it this time!"
Cloud assured Cid before mounting Fenrir. Tifa accompanied him, riding Aurum to Choco Bill's farm, there stabling the golden chocobo, as the couple told the news of the day to him and his grandchildren.
"Well, by Gaia, I'm so pleased you're alright, Tifa," Choco Bill said.
"Thank you, Choco Bill," Tifa said, "And we'll definitely come here from time to time, with the kids. I know they'd love it."
"And I'm sure Chole and Billy would too," Choco Bill said. Tifa mounted the back of the Fenrir, as Cloud drove back to Seventh Heaven. There Tifa cooked dinner for AVALANCHE, being Choco Bill's farm beef, a dish enjoyed by everyone, especially Cloud.
After everyone left, Cloud and Tifa had an early night, being all spent. In their room, Cloud held Tifa close to him, embracing her lips with his, as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"Tifa," Cloud said, "I'll make sure this never happens again, I promise,"
"Thank you, Cloud," Tifa said, "Maybe Cait Sith's services are still needed. I'll ask Reeve and see if he's willing."
Cloud chuckled, as the night went into silence. Cloud's strong arms closed around Tifa, protecting her, as she drifted off into sleep. Cloud kept his eyes open, looking around the room, and looked to his fusion sword beside the bed. Soon, after making certain of no terrors being present, Cloud too drifted off into the realms of dreams, where he joined Tifa. No one would ever kidnap her again, he said to himself.