The beginnings and endings of life
Mind and soul, heart and body…
All come into conflict.

Genesis
Side By Side
by Jess Angel

3

Tifa Lockheart, Vincent Valentine, Cloud Strife, and Cait Sith arrived to a cheering crowd with joyful faces that were unmindful of the ruined city beneath their feet. The people unashamedly voiced the immeasurable gratitude they felt towards their saviors. The members of AVALANCHE had become instant celebrities and were marked 'Heroes of the Planet' by all that surrounded them. Among them advanced the now president of Neo-Midgar.

Reeve smiled at the four companions. "A job well done. Welcome back, my friends."

A roar of approval echoed from the multitude.

The future resounded clearly into the heroes' ears…

It was the beginning of a new era.


8 Months Later…

It had been an intense first few months for Neo-Midgar. Repairing and rebuilding were the chief priorities to the president and people. Those goals were now nearly complete. A majority of the sectors had been cleared and conditions were vastly improved. Structures were redone and homes refurbished. Initial sprouts of life began to spring to the surface, and the citizens of Neo-Midgar felt their lives were running back on track.

Presently, Sectors 2, 3, and 5 remained under construction. So far, Sector 7 had taken the most time. A memorial had been erected in honor of those lost during the crisis of Meteor. Those who worked on the tribute made sure it was worthy of their grieved loved ones.

Neo-Midgar's president and three AVALANCHE members stood amidst a haze of dust at a Sector 5 construction site. A strengthening bond among them had developed through the arduous and testing months. They toiled side by side, humbling themselves, and further becoming a part of the city and its people.

Reeve had spent much of his time gaining the trust of Neo-Midgar's inhabitants, reassuring them there wouldn't be a repeat of the Shinra Corporation. The people were eager for new leadership, but continued to keep their guard up. Slowly, Reeve was earning their respect and affection; each day was a step forward. Meanwhile, Cloud and Vincent were usually found hard at work at various building sites, manual labor being their specialty. The two men had come to rely on one another, despite their differing personalities, particularly due to their nature of work. They shared a mutual regard that was rarely vocalized, but it spoke volumes, nonetheless. Lastly, Tifa had become a nanny of sorts, caring for children whose parents were occupied with jobs that often dealt with helping the city's resurrection. She was the feminine touch in the small group. She brought something lighter and pleasant with her presence. With her, their little circle was complete.


The three AVALANCHE members had been catching a breath from their busy activities, when all eyes caught a familiar dark car driving up. Reeve emerged from the vehicle and headed towards the coterie, leaving his security entourage behind.

"How's everyone doing this lovely day?" Reeve ignored Tifa's eager face.

In turn, she ignored his question and cut to the chase. "So, what's up with that secret project?" A hint of anxiousness betrayed her.

The president had been rambling on and on about it the past few days. Tifa hadn't thought much about it, but the more he spoke the more she was drawn in. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her, and she was yearning for some type of excitement.

"Hm?" He pretended to think.

"You said you were going to tell us about it today," she reminded him.

He drawled, "Oh, that's right."

"Reeve, tell me already!" she cried, frustrated.

The Neo-Midgar leader looked at Cloud and Vincent. "Should I?"

The blond smirked. "Oh, I don't know. What do you think, Vince?"

"Wait, you two already knew about this?" She looked suspiciously at her companions.

"Vince?" Cloud asked again with a look in his eye.

All three turned to the ex-Turk.

Vincent looked to the young woman and her pleading eyes. "I think it is time…" The two men frowned. "To go back to work." The president and sword man exchanged grins, a high five probably on their minds.

"Aw, come on, Vince. Guys, please?" She felt an itch of irritation. "This isn't fair. Both of you knew already." She crossed her arms. "Aren't you going to tell me?"

Reeve and Cloud kept grinning, and Vincent continued staring at her passively.

"Oh, you…" Her brow frowned angrily. "Men!"

Before she could stomp away, a voice stopped her.

"I got you a new bar."

"You what?"

Her eyes held Reeve's. "You didn't?"

"You didn't!"

He laughed and lifted his shoulders in affirmation. "I did."

She threw her arms around the older man. "Oh my gosh, Reeve! Thank you, thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me! This is so - amazing! You're amazing! But wait… What about the sectors? We haven't finished rebuilding three of the sectors… We can't afford to spare any more workers!"

"It's all been taken care of. You don't have to worry. I had it started about a month ago and it wasn't any trouble at all." She let out a breath of relief. "Since we are still working on the remaining sectors, the bar won't be complete for another three or four months," he added.

She grinned. "That's fine with me… So that was the secret project all along?"

Reeve nodded.

The martial artist shook her head and addressed her three friends. "Did you guys have to give me such a hard time? That started out more like a cruel joke than a surprise. Since when did I deserve such cruelty?" she joked and turned to Vincent. "Especially from you, Mr. Valentine. You were just horrible." She glared at him teasingly.

He gave a slight shrug. "It seemed necessary."

Her mouth opened in surprise, and she raised a fist at him.

Cloud nudged her with his elbow. "When dealing with you, Tifa. We always have to be cruel." He grinned at the gunslinger. "That was too good, Vince. I wish I had it on tape or something."

"Yes, Vincent. That was something. I envy you, being the one to get that reaction out of her." Reeve laughed as Tifa's face fumed.

The man with the claw just nodded with an amused glint in his eye, ignoring the woman's threatening gaze.

The president glanced at wrist. "Well, now it's really time to get back to work. I better see you all at dinner tonight."

The three nodded back and watched as Reeve was escorted by his bodyguards - their former enemies, the Turks - into the black vehicle.

"I guess I should be getting back to the kids too. I'll see you guys later." Tifa left them with a bright smile and walked across the street to a small building.

Unconsciously, a pair of blood red eyes followed her moving form until it disappeared into the safety of the building.

Cloud gave a loud sigh and turned to Vincent. "Shall we?"

Without another word the two turned back to the new building site.


3 Hours Later…

Tifa laughed as a few children tugged at her legs, vying for her attention. In her arms, a three-year old sucked his thumb and stared in triumph at the little ones below. Vincent observed them as they amused themselves outside, a pile of wooden boards left neglected at his side. The gunman detected footfalls a good distance away advancing towards his back and instantly recognized the familiar step. The movements became clearer, and Vincent turned to greet them.

"Vince." The spiky-haired swordsman tossed a water bottle to the ex-Turk.

It was swiped from the air in one fluid motion. Vincent twisted the cap open and downed the cool liquid.

For a moment, they stood together satisfying their thirst. Cloud scanned the area and noticed the group across the street. A few thoughts ran though his mind and he addressed his fellow worker. "She's something, isn't she?" He didn't bother looking at the dark-haired man.

"…Tifa?"

Cloud had to give him an 'obviously' look. …Something had been plaguing the young blond's mind the past few months. He felt it was time to confront it… whatever it was. … "You like her, don't you?"

Double meanings blanketed his words.

"…She's a nice girl."

"Nice girl? She's an amazing woman!" He wasn't quite sure how well Vincent could play dumb.

Maybe, he was overreacting. This was Valentine after all, not that he wasn't capable of feeling. Cloud had learned that he was a man full of surprises and at heart, a good one. He was just lost in his own despair. He sympathized and to some degree understood that. But there was a nagging 'something' in his heart. Possibly… fear of a rival? "Listen, I don't know what happened between you two at the Gold Saucer and I'm no psychic-"

"Nothing 'happened'."

Cloud ignored him. "But I have eyes, Vince. I can see… especially when it comes to her." Whatever that something was, he could sense it. It could be perfectly harmless. Perhaps, it was admiration or respect or even a brotherly affection. But then again, it could be something entirely different. Perhaps, it was just Tifa's magnetic pull. She did have that affect on people.

Still, Cloud wasn't going to be a fool and overlook any of the possibilities. "Maybe 'like' is pushing it, but whatever it is, it's there," the swordsman was convinced.

"…I don't know what you're talking about." Apparently, Vincent wasn't.

"Look, I'm not saying I like it either." Mako blue looked sharply into red. "But what I will say is that I trust you."

A thick silence pressed upon them.

Vince's human hand screwed the cap back onto the bottle. "Do not speak on what you know nothing about, Cloud."

The blond felt his broad shoulders tense. "Whatever, Vincent… Just whatever. You know what I mean."

Indeed, he knew exactly what the swordsman meant. It was an odd notion, and would have been a reasonable one… had he been any other man. But Vincent wasn't 'any other man'. He didn't believe himself to be much of one any longer. Cloud's subtle implications were also beginning to grate on Vincent's nerves.

"I mean you no threat, if that's what you're inferring." The dark-haired man bent down to the long planks, lifting them to his shoulder.

Cloud gave a quiet sigh. That was most likely all the discussion he was going to get. "Fine." Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up after all… It was enough of an answer, Cloud supposed.

The blond picked up the remaining timber, and the two continued their labor, side by side.