It was all Tifa could do to keep her face schooled into a seductive smile. The man in front of her did not inspire such an expression. He was – as Aerith had said – a pig. Short, fat, sweaty, balding. He wore a silk robe that probably cost more than any ten denizens of Wall Market could scrape together in a month, but the richness of the garment was wasted on his corpulent frame. It hung open, revealing an expanse of hairy chest. A cigar – imported from who knew where – dangled from his fat lips.
Don Corneo was altogether disgusting. And not just physically. Tifa had seen the shanty-town of Sector 6, dedicated in every way to this little man's illicit pleasures. This was someone who twisted an entire town into his image, ruined lives, stole from those who already had nothing. He was repellant in every way.
But Aerith had the right idea all along. When they had been taken into Corneo's lair – decked out like some Wutai-ese palace in red and gold – Tifa's keen eyes had spotted hidden alcoves and murder holes, all of them no doubt staffed with the don's thugs. Breaking into the building would have been risky at best and probably worthless. The guards would've kept the duo occupied long enough for the boss to escape through some rat-hole.
Still, her fingers ached for the Buster Sword, left with her SOLDIER uniform in the dress shop. She had been trained for fighting, not espionage. Tifa was no Turk. Aerith seemed to be doing well, however, and the mercenary used that as motivation. She wouldn't let her new friend down.
Her smile stayed in place, though it was sorely tested as the fat don paced up and down the small row of three women brought in for his perusal. Tifa and Aerith were two of them. The third was a skinny blonde from Sector 3. She hadn't been very forthcoming when the ex-SOLDIER met her in the basement of Corneo's lair, but the girl had come here as a last resort, looking for money, food, and shelter, at any cost, willing to sell herself body and soul if that's what it took.
Tifa pitied her.
Corneo stopped in front of Tifa and ogled her openly, looking up and down her long legs, staring into her cleavage as if contemplating the mysteries of the universe. Animal. Long experience dealing with admirers, stalkers, and worse when she was part of Shinra kept her from reacting. It was more difficult when the don moved to Aerith and did the same, leering at the long slit in the red dress and the tempting expanse of thigh it exposed. Tifa felt herself tensing, preparing for combat, and had to concentrate to stop herself.
"Such fine ladies you've gathered for me today," the fat don said, speaking to his subordinates, Kotch and Scotch, who stood on either side of his big, gaudy desk. "Which one should I choose?" He turned away, to his desk as if deep in thought, then spun back to face the trio of women. "Woo! I've made up my mind!"
To Tifa's everlasting disgust, Corneo approached her with a gloating smile. "This fierce-looking vixen!"
"You have no idea how fierce I can be, Don," Tifa said in a low purr, her cool smile turning into a smirk. His face reddened. He clearly thought she was flirting with him.
Corneo looked over his shoulder at his subordinates. "You can have the others."
Tifa's eyes widened. Unacceptable. For some reason, she hadn't considered that the don wouldn't let Aerith free if she wasn't chosen. The thought of a pack of Corneo's lackeys pawing at the flower girl turned her stomach. Her right hand balled into a fist. Could they fight their way out? She glanced at Aerith and saw the girl shake her head minutely. No violence. Tifa brought up her hand, crafting another encouraging smile onto her face and took Corneo's fat chin between her fingers.
"Actually," she breathed. "Me and my friend are a package deal."
The don's lips trembled and his greasy eyebrows shot up. "You… and your friend?" He glanced back and forth between Tifa and Aerith. "I'm sure that can be arranged." He raised his voice to Kotch and Scotch. "Change of plans, boys. You'll have to split blondie. I'm going for the double tonight."
His thugs couldn't have been happy, but they knew better than to grumble within earshot. They left the room together, the blonde girl sandwiched between them. Tifa felt a twinge of guilt. Should she have tried to get the other woman away, too? She couldn't imagine it working, but still…
"Right this way, ladies," Corneo said, licking his thick lips. He turned and walked past a folded screen and through a curtain. Tifa and Aerith followed. The ex-SOLDIER felt her friend's hand brush against her own, the only signal the flower girl could risk to display her gratitude. It wasn't much, but Tifa felt her pasted on smile turn genuine. The room past the curtain was decorated like the rest of the mansion, but more so. Gaudy colors, faux-Wutai décor, and a complete lack of class. The big bed took up most of the room.
If she wasn't so nauseous, Tifa might have found it amusing to watch the fat little crime lord struggle to climb onto his own bed. Once he mounted the mattress, he pushed his robe open a little wider and crawled towards the two women. "Lucky me! Two chickies for the price of one! Where did you two come from, anyway? I would've noticed the pair of you in my Wall Market."
Aerith took the lead. "We came from Sector 7," she lied.
Corneo frowned. "Seven? I thought I had the gate closed off. How did you get through?"
"We made it through right before then," Tifa said quickly.
The overweight don sneered. "I hope you weren't planning on going back anytime soon."
"Oh?" Aerith asked innocently. "Why's that? Does it have anything to do with you closing the gate?"
"Let's just say… you won't find things the way you left them." Corneo snickered. He shook his head. "Why are we talking about this? Those dresses should be off by now."
Tifa stepped forward, putting a little sway in her step. She lifted a finger to toy with the don's pencil thin mustache, grimacing inwardly. "Let's not rush things." His eyelids fluttered at her ministrations and – in that moment – she shifted her grip, wrapping her fingers around his windpipe. Corneo's eyes widened and he made a choking sound, trying to scramble back on the bed. Futile. The mercenary held him fast. "Now," Tifa said sweetly. "Tell us what you have planned for Sector 7." She loosened her grip enough to allow the little man to speak, but kept her hand in place in case he tried to call for help.
"You… You're joking, right?" Corneo asked, his round face red and dripping with sweat. "Yeah, this is some kind of prank."
Aerith crowded in. "I'd answer her questions, Don. She can do things much more painful than choke you."
He struggled to escape, but Tifa's strength was irresistible. "It's not me! I was just told to find out where the man with the gun-arm was. That was all I did for them!"
"For who?" Tifa asked.
"No way," Corneo sputtered. "If I told you, I'd be killed for sure."
Aerith put her hands on her hips. "Fine. Tifa… Smash them." Tifa fought to stop herself from smiling. Her friend had quite the savage streak.
The crime boss was less amused, letting out a squeak of protest. "Heidegger!" He yelped. "The Public Safety commissioner for Shinra!"
"Shinra?" Tifa raised her left fist. "Tell us what they're doing. Talk!"
"Ohman ohman ohman," Corneo was nearly crying now. "Okay, here's what I know: The Shinra's trying to wipe out that terrorist group, AVALANCHE. Now that they know where they are, they're going to break the pillar and drop the upper plate on their heads."
Tifa's blood ran cold. "They'd destroy all of Sector 7 just to get rid of AVALANCHE? When? When are they destroying the pillar?"
Corneo shook his head as best he could with the mercenary still holding his throat. "I don't know!" he sobbed. "It could be anytime! I'm just glad they're not here in Sector 6."
"You greedy bastard," Tifa snarled. "You sold out everyone in Seven, but as long as it doesn't touch your filthy little kingdom, that's all that matters to you." Corneo just looked confused.
Aerith put a hand on Tifa's arm. "We don't have time for this. We have to warn your friends."
Tifa gave a reluctant nod. "You're right. But I don't want this little toad warning anyone."
"Wh-what are you going to do?" Corneo whimpered.
"Not enough," Tifa said. She released the crime lord's throat and – before he could even raise his hands to rub his bruised neck – she drew her fist back and punched the little man. The impact of the blow sent him flying backwards to tumble over his headboard and into the shadows behind his bed, unconscious. "Now we can go."
Together, they rushed out of the gaudy mansion and back into the streets of Wall Market. As before – when the pair had been walking to Corneo's lair – all eyes were on them. They had been the object of envy or pity heading in. There had been catcalls and wolf whistles, lewd comments and reaching, groping hands. Everyone gave them a wide berth now, and no one tried to get their attention. Maybe the people of Sector 6 didn't want to risk the don's ire by harassing his concubines. More likely they saw Tifa's determined stride and the rage in her eyes and were smart enough not to slow her down.
It only took a few minutes to return to the dress shop and a few more for them to change back into their normal clothes, but it felt like a small eternity to Tifa. Every second was precious now. Feeling more like herself wearing her SOLDIER uniform, she retrieved the Buster Sword and hooked it to her back, tying her long hair with practice ease on the move as the two of them charged out the door and back to the Sector 7 gate.
Something was wrong. They could tell as they approached the gate dividing Sector 6 from Sector 7. There was an arrhythmic thumping and the sound of faint, muffled screams. Tifa ran faster, leaving Aerith to catch up. She had to hurry. Had to reach Seven before the Shinra could bring down the plate. It couldn't be easy to destroy the support, could it? AVALANCHE may even have caught wind of the plan and be fighting their enemies right now.
The iron door was still closed. Tifa found the large valve wheel that opened it after a moment of searching and tried to turn it, but it resisted even her Mako-enhanced musculature. Panic clawed at her lungs. She didn't have time for this. Aerith rushed up behind her, out of breath from sprinting to the gate.
"What's wrong?" she gasped.
Tifa grunted, pulling at the wheel again. "It's gotta' be locked."
Aerith put a hand on her shoulder, urging her away from the wheel. "Stand back!" She raised her arm, and the ex-SOLDIER saw a glint of green light on her friend's armband. Materia. The arm lowered, hand palm out to the middle of the iron gate, and a ball of flame flashed to the thick door. Then another and another until the metal was glowing red hot. The flower girl dropped to a knee, panting. "I'm sorry… I thought that would be enough."
"It's my turn now," Tifa said. The brown-haired woman had given her an idea. She ran a thumb over one of her own materia stones, summoning a blast of ice to supercool the molten door. The rapid temperature change made the metal crack, but the gate still held firm. Tifa drew the Buster Sword and hefted it, stepping within reach of the door. The heating and freezing should have weakened the material enough for this to work. She raised the immense blade over her head and slashed downward with all her strength. Her sword impacted the brittle metal and shattered it, smashing a hole big enough for several people to walk through shoulder to shoulder.
And that's what they did. Denizens of Sector 7 poured through the ruined door, screaming and crying. They were crowded too close for Tifa to pass them, to get through to where she was most needed. She fought through the tide of humanity, but couldn't make progress. Her eyes darted from face to face, looking for someone she knew. No Jessie, no Johnny, no Marlene or Barret. Surely not all of them were still in Seven. She hoped they were on their way, part of the crowd still massed on the other side of the door, but that hope died as she saw – through the broken gate – the first explosion go off at the top of the pillar. Her heart froze in her chest.
No!
The explosives went off in sequence, trailing down the pillar and demolishing it section by section. The sound of the detonation was drowned out by an inhuman groaning noise as the plate fifty meters above the Sector 7 slums lurched. For a moment it hung there, suspended by its tenuous connection to the adjacent plates. Then it dropped.
It seemed to fall incredibly slowly. The people still on the wrong side of the gate stopped, staring up in horrified awe as the sky fell. Tifa saw the fear in their eyes. She heard their screams. One thought kept running on repeat in her mind:
It's happening again…
She turned away. "Aerith!" she screamed. The flower girl was nearby, eyes fixed on the plate as it descended, hands clasped near her face. Tifa grabbed her by the waist and spun her behind a small, rusted shack standing nearby, protecting the other woman's body with her own just in time. The plate section crashed to the ground with an indescribable cacophony, so loud it made Tifa's entire body ache. A blast of air and heat and debris shot through the partially open gate and the ground shook, creating even more noise.
The only mercy was that it was loud enough to cover the screams of the dying.
The worst of it was over. There were still clatters and groans and rumbles from beyond the wall as the plate settled, but the apocalyptic clamor had ended. Aerith's ears rang and she couldn't tell if the trembling in her limbs was her own or from Tifa, whose arms were still wrapped around her. She tried to extricate herself from the mercenary's hold, but Tifa's grip was strong and unyielding. She turned as best she could in the dark-haired woman's arms to face her.
"Tifa? We should… we need to go." The ex-SOLDIER's eyes were closed tight, her skin pale.
Those glowing crimson eyes appeared from under her lids. "Are you all right?"
Aerith gave a small nod. "I think so."
Slowly, almost reluctantly, Tifa released her and rose to her feet. She turned and staggered to where the gate to Sector 7 had once been. Now it was choked with the fallen ruin of the plate, which had destroyed everyone and everything unfortunate enough to be beneath it. She stood before the smoking pile of debris and reached out with one tentative hand, letting her fingers brush against the crumpled metal. Around them, the few escapees from Seven who had stuck around were also standing, emerging from hiding spots behind the damaged remains of the park.
Their faces all reflected the same numb shock Aerith herself felt. She couldn't believe Shinra had caused so much destruction just to take out a few rebels hiding in the slums. She imagined Tifa felt the same and approached the dark-haired woman. "Come on, Tifa," she said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Tifa shrugged her off angrily. "No," she said, her voice a fierce whisper. "No! I can't… I can't see this happen again!" She drew the Buster Sword and slashed at the mountain of metal. "My home! My friends! When does it stop?!" With each statement, she swung again, chopping uselessly into the remains of the plate. Her head tilted back to the sky and her voice rose in a wordless scream of rage and loss.
The mercenary crumpled, falling to her knees in the dirt, staring at the ground now, her hair a dark curtain hiding her face. Aerith stepped forward again, hesitant this time. She knelt at Tifa's back, wrapping her arms around the other woman's shoulders. She wished she could think of something to say to help, but this was all she could do.
"I'm cursed," Tifa breathed. "Everything I touch. Everyone I get close to."
Aerith tightened her grip. "No," she said firmly. "That's not true." She urged Tifa to turn her head to where the other survivors were gathered. "These people are alive because you broke through the gate. You saved them, Tifa. The Shinra would have killed them, but they couldn't because you were here."
There was no answer, but Aerith felt Tifa's hand cover one of her own.
"We should go," the flower girl said again. She felt her companion nod, and they stood together. Aerith had barely dropped her embrace when they heard a new sound. The rhythmic whir of a helicopter. The refugees saw the source before Aerith did, pointing up into the sky and murmuring. The murmurs turned into screams as the helicopter came closer and they scattered, some heading towards Wall Market, some in the direction of Sector 5.
"Damn," Tifa growled as she spotted the helicopter, which sported Shinra logos and colors. "Aren't they done yet?" She took Aerith's hand and ran from wreckage of Sector 7, making for the ruined highway leading back to Five. The Cetra followed, fighting through the exhaustion of their earlier run and her materia usage. They made it ten meters when Aerith caught her foot on a chunk of debris ejected from the fall of the plate and went down, her hand wrenching free from Tifa's.
She got back to her feet, wincing as she put pressure on her twisted ankle. "I'm sorry," she gasped.
Tifa shook her head. "We couldn't have outrun them anyway." The ex-SOLDIER took a step away, lifting her sword in one hand and running her thumb over the green stone placed near the hilt. Aerith's brown hair lifted around her face as static built around the two of them. A bright bolt of lightning speared through the air, zapping close to the helicopter but not striking it. "One more," Tifa said under her breath. She raised her sword, preparing to use the magic of her materia again.
There was a crack like thunder, but Aerith hadn't seen the flash of the bolt this time. Instead, she saw a fountain of red and felt warmth on her face and hands. Tifa let out a grunt of pain and stumbled backwards. "Ti… fa?"
Her friend turned to look at her, seeming to move incredibly slowly. Anguish filled her red eyes. "Run." She went down, toppling gracefully to the brown dirt under their feet.
"Oh, Planet!" Aerith swore. She knelt at Tifa's side, pressing her palms against the pulsing wound in the mercenary's chest, feeling hot, sticky blood staining her hands. "You're going to be okay, you hear me? We'll get you fixed up and away from the Shinra. Everything will be fine." She didn't even know what she was saying. The meaningless stream of words tumbled from lips, meant as much to reassure herself as her friend. She didn't even notice the helicopter descend and land near them until she felt the wash of wind from the spinning rotors.
Tifa was staring at her with pleading eyes. Her mouth moved silently, probably trying to urge Aerith to leave her behind and escape. Aerith ignored her.
She looked up, her hands still pressed against the bullet hole, willing the wound to close, using her Cetra powers on Tifa the way she did to help flowers grow by stimulating their natural life processes. It was hard to tell if it had any effect. A familiar figure was stepping from the chopper. He had black shoulder-length hair pulled back, revealing the "tilak" spot in the middle of his forehead. The man tugged on one cuff, straightening the jacket of his dark suit, a gun gleaming in his hand. A Turk. And one she knew well.
"Tseng," Aerith said in a low voice.
He approached without concern, his stride even and confident. "Aerith," he said by way of greeting. "You knew this day would come. You couldn't evade us forever."
"What do you want with me?" Aerith asked, angry and weary. "Why can't you all just leave me alone?"
Tseng's dark eyes tightened just a bit. "You know why. It's because of what you are: The last of the Ancients. You are very important to Shinra's future plans."
"And you think I'd help them after what happened today?" Aerith's voice rose to a near-shriek. "After what you did to my mother? And Tifa?!"
"We do what we have to," the Turk said. "I have my part and you have yours. I take no pleasure in what I do, but it is my job." He extended his hand, sighting down the barrel of the gun he held to point directly at Aerith.
The flower girl stared at the weapon without fear. "You wouldn't dare. You said yourself I'm too important to Shinra."
Tseng nodded. "You're absolutely right." He shifted his aim to point down at the wounded mercenary lying in the dirt breathing shallowly as her life blood spurted from between Aerith's fingers. The Cetra went cold. "We do what we have to do," Tseng repeated. "You will come with me, or I will kill Lockhart." Aerith didn't answer, gritting her teeth, tears threatening to leak from her emerald eyes.
"Don't… Don't do it," Tifa panted, face screwing up in pain. "Just get out… of here."
"She can still survive," Tseng said. "Unless I shoot her again." He paused and shook his head. "Time's up."
"No!" Aerith shouted. "Don't shoot!" She stood, Tifa's blood hot on her hands and harms. She felt the ex-SOLDIER tugging weakly at her, urging her not to give in, but her mind was made up. "I'll go with you. Just promise me you won't hurt her."
Tseng holstered his gun. There was no emotion in his expression or his face. He had made a threat and seen Aerith respond to it. It was just an equation to him. "Into the helicopter," he said.
For another moment, the flower girl looked down at her wounded friend. "I'm sorry," she said, almost to herself. "I can't let him kill you. Stay alive. Stay safe. And remember what I said… whatever happens is because I made a choice. It's not your fault." She could see in Tifa's eyes the other woman didn't believe her, but there was no time to argue.
Aerith raised her head and marched to the helicopter, refusing to meet Tseng's gaze, refusing to show fear or regret. She had made her choice. Now she had to live with it.
A/N: Oops, I did a thing.
Read, enjoy, review. Seriously. Comment.
Next time... "Against Neighbors VI: An Unexpected Ally".