Pleasure Under Falls
Written By: Sunlit Faerie
Chapter: 2 – Unlikely Encounter
Rating: R
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Disclaimer: Owned by Squaresoft.
Warning: Romance fluffin' crap – Tifa/? – Rating may increase – AU – Requested – Sexual content – Mature readers only,
Author's Notes: Much to my dismay, the person who requested did not choose Zack. He only has cameo appearances . . . what a load of crap . . . just kidding. :)
Maybe I should do the rewrite of FF7 and towards post-Meteor and see how far this goes? Sounds like a bad idea . . . but I'm going for it!
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Blades of grass touched with the fresh scent of dawn's teardrops undulated in the calm, even breeze. Aurora's lace of gold from its bed allocated its warmth and shine to the whole world, bringing everyone to a pleasant wake.
The town of Nibelheim was already bustling with people. Bakeries were opened and the appetizing aroma of bread and a variety of desserts had many individuals lining up inside the store. The marketplaces opened their doors and a horde of villagers filed inside to different areas, picking up food they desperately needed.
Many stores were ready for business for that new day. It was a special day, however, for the Soldiers from their hometown were coming home. The Nibelheim community was preparing the town celebration with streamers, balloons, banners, and a variety of food. The masquerade ball was the official welcoming of the Soldiers and was to be held in the Shin-Ra mansion where most activities were held.
Outside Nibelheim was the beach. The ocean waves were gentle and the color was a sparkling, clear blue. It washed up against the white sand softly and pulled back. It was the very mirror of paradise. Besides Mt. Nibel, the Nibel people were known for keeping a beach as beautiful as theirs.
There was a teenage girl of eighteen straddling a man's legs, of who was about twenty, with a playful grin on her face, fingers tracing down his bare chest, boxer-clad body. The silver chain with a cross dangling from it curled about his neck, which sparkled with the utmost radiance from the sun's rays.
"You going to show me now?" She asked him.
"Tonight." He replied simply, closing his eyelids, grinning at self-satisfaction for torturing the innocent. One-worded answers were divine.
"But you promised! At least give me a hint on what it is?" She pleaded tugging on his necklace.
"Water."
She gaped. "Come on! We have water everywhere! What, are you going to splash me to death?"
"You always have to wait for something." He opened his eyelids where sunlight bounced off his aquamarine eyes. "I had to wait for you to say 'yes' for a few months. Be glad you only have to wait for a few hours."
She let out a long sigh before standing up.
"Tifa!" The two turned their heads to the sound of the voice and saw her mother coming towards them. He blessed the Gods for not having her father come and fetch her. He wasn't exactly the most loved man in town.
"Mom, over here!" Tifa waved out to the woman that finally slowed her jog to a walk.
When her mother finally approached them, she stopped and gave her daughter a hug. Her eyes traveled to the man sprawled lazily on the floor with a grin. She laughed.
"What have you two been doing the past hour? I didn't see you in bed this morning."
Tifa's face blanched. She didn't recognize his frown.
"Dad wasn't home was he?"
Athene brushed off her statement with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry, sweetie. Your dad left early for the Nibelheim Town Meeting."
She let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, now, since that's settled let's go back, shall we? We need to pick out your dress."
Tifa nodded. She looked down him and he urged her to go on. She waved good-bye and headed towards Nibelheim with her mother.
"Sweetie, are you going out with that man? I mean, he's twenty and you're eighteen."
Tifa let out a slight giggle. "Mom, I'm eighteen. You said it yourself. I'm a big girl now."
Athene shook her head with a rueful smile. "Time flies by fast, doesn't it? I know you're not a baby any more but look at the circumstances. Your father doesn't appreciate him much-
"Mom, we're not even going out."
Athene looked at her in confusion. She pursed her cherry lips and her face just demanded an explanation.
"We're not going out." She said again. "Trust me. I'm not even sure if we have a relationship."
"You're not . . . well, to put it blandly, bedroom friends . . . are you?" Athene was hesitant with her question but she had a right.
"Mother! You, of all people, know I'm not like that!"
Her mother shook her head. "You're right, you're right. Forget that subject and let's move on to another one, okay?"
Tifa nodded quickly. "I'm up for it."
Athene laughed. "Have you and that Cloud boy been keeping in touch?"
She saw her daughter nibble her bottom lip in nervousness and perhaps a touch of depression. She wasn't quite sure.
"Um . . . yeah."
That was only half the truth. She had kept in touch with him for the first few months he was gone but suddenly, he had delivered her a letter stating the dread she was concerned about the moment he left. After that, she couldn't write back. The letters would keep on coming, asking what she was up to and why she wouldn't write back to him, but she would never answer.
It mad her feel guilty, sure, but she didn't know how to react. Afterwards, a man asked her out and she had said 'yes', due to the fact that she needed somebody to comfort her. It was wrong, she knew. She knew she was using him, but he was using her too wasn't he?
They used each other for comfort. They didn't know the other had the same intentions of manipulating.
She shook her head.
No, it was only she. Maybe that's why their relationship was never official because of her. The words would just come flying out of her mouth, but she was unsure if she meant it all.
No, she did. She just didn't know how to react if he offered the same intensity of affection. Cloud had done the same thing and she was afraid that-
"We're home! Okay, Tifa, go take a shower."
She had been woken from her reverie. She could merely nod.
. : . : .