1 Physical Battle, Mental Battle
Yuffie stepped out onto the battle arena dressed in a dark uniform, which Tifa recognised as the uniform of the Wutai National Guard. She was certainly up for the challenge this time. At the entrance of the competitor, the crowd went wild. It had been half an hour since Yuffie Kisgargi had signed in to battle, and in that time most of the population of Costa Del Sol had dropped everything and rushed towards the arena. People loved to see the Strifes in battle, but now that they knew the famous Yuffie, daughter of Godo had arrived in the town… it promised to be a fight to remember. Mass cheers erupted and blasted right around the arena itself, and Yuffie bowed to those who cheered her on. Tifa smiled and stood right in the middle of the arena itself, decked out in her traditional outfit of white, low-cut top and black battle shorts. Her hair had been cut shorter though, and her face had taken on a new level of maturity over the years. Tifa was now a woman, and there was no mistaking the incredible levels of skill she had acquired over the years.
"Yuffie Kisgargi!" Tifa shouted, keeping to the official procedure of the fight, "Before you have the opportunity to fight the leader of this arena, you have to defeat me in battle! Do you accept the challenge?"
Yuffie grinned. She wasn't going to back out. Her other problems could wait until after she ripped Tifa and Cloud to pieces.
"I accept." Yuffie grimaced suddenly, concentrating.
"In that case, I propose that this battle be one without weapons. Do you accept this pre-condition, or would you like to withdraw now?"
It annoyed Yuffie, but there was nothing she could do. It was up to the leaders of the arenas themselves to set the criteria for the battle at hand, and Tifa had every right to her request. Anyway… she was no slouch herself when it came to hand-to-hand combat.
"Fine, if that's the way it's gotta be." Yuffie retorted.
"It is."
Tifa moved back to the side of the circle in the middle of the arena. The battleground itself was made up of a purely white floor, and a box of around 50 meters squared. In the centre lay a circle that took up around a tenth of the full area of the arena itself. At either side of the circle, Yuffie and Tifa stood, waiting for the battle to begin. Eyes met and stared each other down. Their minds were set; until the end of the fight, they were no longer friends, but mortal enemies.
The silence of the stadium was interrupted by a clear voice speaking over the tannoy to both competitors.
"The fight will begin after the bell. 5, 4…"
Yuffie slowly crouched down, her hands crossed and smiling at Tifa she got herself into position.
"3…2…"
Tifa grinned back and placed her right foot behind her body, getting ready to make her move. However, she put her hands behind her back, and Yuffie wondered what was going on. But there was little time for wonder in the world that lay before them both now.
"…1…!"
Yuffie got ready to spring, the anticipation burning through her body. Tifa on the other hand remained calm. There was a childish element to Yuffie's nature that always seemed to come out in battle. But would it be a beast to Tifa or a burden to its owner? And suddenly, all sense and reason fell to ground, for the bell had struck true and the battle was underway.
"…Vincent?"
Why am I here…thought Vincent as he stared into the abyss under the waterfall. He shouldn't have come… he should have just died…
"Hello Lucrecia."
The voice of Lucrecia came from the abyss itself. Vincent looked downwards and he could see a canyon stretching downwards, below the waterfall and through the earth itself, but Lucrecia remained simply a being of words and spirit, with no body left. Vincent had returned nine years ago with the intention of killing Lucrecia, since that was her wish. After putting her through unbelievable pain and torment, he was finally able to rid her of her body, but that was all. She remained in the same place as a spirit, and could not leave the space under the waterfall to which she had confined herself all those years ago. Vincent, believing he had failed, vowed never to return to the waterfall or Lucrecia, for fear of hurting her once more… but nine years had passed, and it was all Vincent had left to him.
"It is good… to feel your presence again…"
"Lucrecia…"
Yuffie stepped out onto the battle arena dressed in a dark uniform, which Tifa recognised as the uniform of the Wutai National Guard. She was certainly up for the challenge this time. At the entrance of the competitor, the crowd went wild. It had been half an hour since Yuffie Kisgargi had signed in to battle, and in that time most of the population of Costa Del Sol had dropped everything and rushed towards the arena. People loved to see the Strifes in battle, but now that they knew the famous Yuffie, daughter of Godo had arrived in the town… it promised to be a fight to remember. Mass cheers erupted and blasted right around the arena itself, and Yuffie bowed to those who cheered her on. Tifa smiled and stood right in the middle of the arena itself, decked out in her traditional outfit of white, low-cut top and black battle shorts. Her hair had been cut shorter though, and her face had taken on a new level of maturity over the years. Tifa was now a woman, and there was no mistaking the incredible levels of skill she had acquired over the years.
"Yuffie Kisgargi!" Tifa shouted, keeping to the official procedure of the fight, "Before you have the opportunity to fight the leader of this arena, you have to defeat me in battle! Do you accept the challenge?"
Yuffie grinned. She wasn't going to back out. Her other problems could wait until after she ripped Tifa and Cloud to pieces.
"I accept." Yuffie grimaced suddenly, concentrating.
"In that case, I propose that this battle be one without weapons. Do you accept this pre-condition, or would you like to withdraw now?"
It annoyed Yuffie, but there was nothing she could do. It was up to the leaders of the arenas themselves to set the criteria for the battle at hand, and Tifa had every right to her request. Anyway… she was no slouch herself when it came to hand-to-hand combat.
"Fine, if that's the way it's gotta be." Yuffie retorted.
"It is."
Tifa moved back to the side of the circle in the middle of the arena. The battleground itself was made up of a purely white floor, and a box of around 50 meters squared. In the centre lay a circle that took up around a tenth of the full area of the arena itself. At either side of the circle, Yuffie and Tifa stood, waiting for the battle to begin. Eyes met and stared each other down. Their minds were set; until the end of the fight, they were no longer friends, but mortal enemies.
The silence of the stadium was interrupted by a clear voice speaking over the tannoy to both competitors.
"The fight will begin after the bell. 5, 4…"
Yuffie slowly crouched down, her hands crossed and smiling at Tifa she got herself into position.
"3…2…"
Tifa grinned back and placed her right foot behind her body, getting ready to make her move. However, she put her hands behind her back, and Yuffie wondered what was going on. But there was little time for wonder in the world that lay before them both now.
"…1…!"
Yuffie got ready to spring, the anticipation burning through her body. Tifa on the other hand remained calm. There was a childish element to Yuffie's nature that always seemed to come out in battle. But would it be a beast to Tifa or a burden to its owner? And suddenly, all sense and reason fell to ground, for the bell had struck true and the battle was underway.
"…Vincent?"
Why am I here…thought Vincent as he stared into the abyss under the waterfall. He shouldn't have come… he should have just died…
"Hello Lucrecia."
The voice of Lucrecia came from the abyss itself. Vincent looked downwards and he could see a canyon stretching downwards, below the waterfall and through the earth itself, but Lucrecia remained simply a being of words and spirit, with no body left. Vincent had returned nine years ago with the intention of killing Lucrecia, since that was her wish. After putting her through unbelievable pain and torment, he was finally able to rid her of her body, but that was all. She remained in the same place as a spirit, and could not leave the space under the waterfall to which she had confined herself all those years ago. Vincent, believing he had failed, vowed never to return to the waterfall or Lucrecia, for fear of hurting her once more… but nine years had passed, and it was all Vincent had left to him.
"It is good… to feel your presence again…"
"Lucrecia…"