A blazing red van hidden by the night's guise parked against a curb which
led to mundane houses with the same blue shudders and the same moldy yellow
paint smeared across their sides.
Three cracks of the horn. Yuffie stuck her small head out of the window screaming at the door as her hands waved frantically calling for Tifa.
Tifa perched her head against the window, sighting Yuffie's wavering body as it shook from side to side, yelling and screaming for her.
She gave a soft smile. It was a first time in a long time she realized how lucky she was to have a friend like Yuffie who was not afraid to be blunt or open. Not afraid to hug someone even if they didn't want one. She wasn't afraid to kick someone in the ass if they were being an ass.
Tifa hurried to her door, as she grabbed a denim coat that was missing two buttons and was fading in the back. But, clothes never seemed to be of much importance. Her brown skirt and white tang top seemed to be enough for the outing. It wasn't like it was a date. Well maybe for some people it was...
A slight chill in the air, made her thankful for the thin denim jacket she brought along. Tifa walked to the front door, but Yuffie signaled her to sit in the back of the van. Tifa uncertainly opened the back door as she spotted Cloud, Aeris and Vincent seated and behind them sat Zack as he greedily stretched his legs against the spacious backseat.
Her eyes caught Vincent's who was seated between Aeris and Cloud. His still body acted as a barrier between the two, but Aeris found a way to overcome all obstacles that stood in her way. She stretched her hand behind Vincent as she pricked and tickled Cloud's ear. Her lips pursed as she giggled while Cloud sat their motionless with a lopsided grin.
"Vincent," Tifa whispered unconsciously.
Vincent tilted his eyes surreptitiously staring at Tifa who stood there with her numb feet glued to the ground. Then he turned his head as though he had never acknowledged her presence.
Tifa felt her body go cold, as her feet became two stags of ice. Everything went dark, all she remembered was a hand grabbing her waist pulling her out of the darkness, slowly tugging her back to reality.
"Tifa, you can sit with me, I have a plenty of space on my side," Zack gave a wide smile as he removed his legs from their stretched position.
"Thanks Zack," she said quietly as Aeris caressed Cloud's spiky hair. Tifa's fingers clawed the seat as she bit down on her lower lip until it grew blue
A hand enveloped itself around Tifa's, gently stroking the porcelain skin.
"Just breathe," Zack said softly giving her a weak smile. His head tilted upward as his eyes wandered from Cloud and Aeris to Yuffie.
Zack held a cigarette loosely to his lips as he let sparks of red linger in the dark night; the ash burning his tongue. His mouth parted as soft rings of gray smoke seeped out.
"Just breathe,"
************************************
The neon lights and glittering letters that pervaded streets, blinked color into the night.
Tifa straightened her body as her head leaned against the pale window as she watched the old decrepit building pass her sight and the pedestrians with unwieldy bags in their hands become distant blurs.
"Let's go, I'm hungry," Yuffie yelped as she parked the car crookedly in a no parking zone and grabbed Zack's arm and hurried into the nearest Chili fries fast food restaurant. Vincent walked a few feet away from the group. His black hair pasted across his skin, concealing a well-chiseled face. Black loose cotton cloth draped carelessly against him blending into the dark. If it weren't for a pale face that glinted behind the apparel, he would have been no more than a mere shadow.
Yuffie hoarded a gallon of chili cheese fries greased with old oil while Zack who placed his ashen shoes on the table, pestered her.
Aeris and Cloud sat across from Yuffie. Aeris held firmly in her hands a large glass of a strawberry shake with two striped straws placed in the center of the cup.
Cloud grabbed a straw for Tifa, but Tifa plainly refused as she sensed Aeris heated cheeks. She driveled on about being lactose intolerant and then hovered over to the condiment section of the shack.
Vincent was sitting in the corner of a table near Zack. A stoic look engraved into his face. Two girls passed by Vincent, giving soft giggles. The girl with cascades of black hair draping over her shoulders accidentally dropped her drink and stumbled into Vincent, forcing him to catch her.
Vincent gave a weak smile as he helped her up, passing her a napkin to clean the stain that sullied her green silk skirt. The girl sat beside Vincent as she folded her dress revealing soft delicate legs.
Tifa watched the girl. Her hair perfectly aligned, not a single strand astray. Her glossy green eyes reflected brilliantly with her emerald dress.
A green tint glazed Tifa's eyes as her gaze shifted back to her own plain self. Her brown skirt and denim jacket felt jaded and old.
Everyone seemed so happy. Aeris hands were gently folded over Cloud's; Yuffie was whining as Zack poked her with a garlic bread stick and even Vincent seemed to be enjoying himself.
Then, why couldn't she smile?
She felt like the odd ball out, the loner who got stuck with the group.
'I'm happy'
She was supposed to be the one who smiled when no one else could. A smile that would wipe away fear and replace it with assurance and confidence. But, how could she make other people smile when she was already forgetting how?
Her hands groped for the back door as she quietly pushed it, letting her lungs tingle with the cold air.
She tightened her fists as she felt a slight rubber prick at her skin. Her left glove was still sown against her skin as though it was a part of her.
The rhythmic pattern of her feet against the asphalt streets provided her with a shred of comfort. The sound of her feet felt so familiar even though she felt so lost.
The city was crowded with strange passerbies. A boy had blue spiked hair with five rings protruding his lips, leaving him forever with a gaping smile. Another man was stark naked from waist up. His skin was pale as snow, but his face showed not the faintest trace of deterioration.
The boy with the blue hair asked her for directions to the post office, but she hadn't the slightest inkling of what he was referring to, for the metal rings impaired his speech, leaving only the sound of grinding metal.
Admiration stirred in her heart, for she didn't have the courage to dye her hair blue or pierce her face. She never had the guts to step out of her own shoes and risk being something or someone else.
She reached down into her pocket and fumbled out a couple of gil.
Seductive neon lights blazed across the street.
She squeezed her fists.
This was her chance to forget, to disappear, and to change.
*********************************
She ruffled her hair as she attempted to grow accustomed to her rash decision to chop her hair of leaving it a little below her shoulders. Her chin nestled against her hair. It was odd how free she felt, how empowering a little cut of a blade might be.
The knee high black boots she bought felt strange against her feet, bumpy and coarse. The black skirt she held had two slits on the sides enabling her to pivot her foot. She kept her white cotton tank top, but concealed her head with a sleek black fisherman's hat
She felt utterly strange. The mirror seemed to reflect a different person, but maybe she just wanted it to. Just for one day, for one moment she wanted to be someone else, a stranger.
They say you learn more about yourself when you walk in different shoes. Well, she was certainly walking in someone else's shoes. The black clasped boots were quite a change from her normal padded shoes.
She pushed the door open as she coughed in the cold air. Gray tinted glasses shielding her claret eyes.
It was the second time she had walked out of a building. The second time she walked down the street. But, this time it was a second chance.
********************************
Vincent had a glazed blank stare blanketing his eyes as the girl pricked at his stiff rigid fingers. The girl shifted closer to his body, as her skin flushed into a crimson red. Her lips twittering closer to his statuette body.
"Vincent," a loud voice screeched.
Vincent abruptly turned his head.
The girl's body fumbled hard into the seat.
"Vincent, do you know where Tifa is? I think she headed down to the movies. Aeris and I are heading down there to catch a movie and check if she's there," Cloud stated quickly as Aeris grabbed his arm pushing him to the revolving door.
"Sorry," Vincent mumbled hoarsely to the girl as he headed for the door, letting a long shudder of air swell into the building.
******************************
Tifa took a long, hard breath as she felt the air rush into her throat. It felt like an ecstatic high to be rid of her old self and just be a stranger...
She hurried down the street, her feet gathering speed as she dug her feet into the ground. She leapt into the air as she raced through the road. She felt invincible, unstoppable.
'But everything falls'
Her boot caught a slight slope in the sidewalk as she fell head first into an unknowing pedestrian on the street.
The man caught her awkwardly, slowly pulling her to her feet.
Tifa felt her cheeks burn as she hung her head in embarrassment.
"Are you okay, miss?" said the young man.
Tifa stared at the man's shoes. The sullied mud beaten, jaded shoes badly needed to be repaired for their injuries. But, they retained an admiring and nonchalant aura to them. An aura that only one person she knew could have...
'Cloud'
She inched her eyes tentatively up as she met stunning blue eyes. Instinctively, she snapped her head down, averting her eyes at the realization.
" Are you sure you're okay," said a sweet honey voice.
Tifa grimaced. As she remained in the hovered position in case she had to vomit. Aeris was such a good person, her heart was pure, and her voice was genuinely concerned.
Cloud circled his arm around Aeris as she pressed her lips against his, giving him a hard kiss. Cloud jerked back, taken aback from her action, but had a warm smile plastered against his lips.
'But, it hurts....'
Her feet were ready to propel forward into a frantic run. But, she always ran.
She turned, facing Aeris and Cloud.
'They don't know who I am'
A sad smile twisted on her lips.
She brusquely turned her head as she faded into the night.
Aeris and Cloud stared at her bemusedly as she dissipated into the fog.
**************************
Brown thins wisps of hair was pasted across her sticky cheeks. She carefully lifted her glasses as she rubbed her face with the back of her hand. Sunglasses couldn't really hide everything. Could they?
'Just breathe'
She felt like punching herself in the face or smacking her head against the brick wall until her head felt cold and numb.
She was so weak and she hated it. The way her body crumbled when she saw him smile at her; the way her body convulse with silent shivers when that smile wasn't directed to her.
She threw her fist against a bricked building, her fingers rubbing against the coarse sand. Her head throbbed and now her sore hand shared some of the pain.
A dark alley stood ominously in the center of two neon signs. But, Tifa walked aimlessly toward he dark alley, as the neon lights faded into the background.
She didn't know what to feel. She didn't understand what she felt for Cloud.
She didn't know what love was or what lust was, or what anything matter of fact was.
Water trickled down a steal pipe as it smeared against the ground forming a small puddle. Tifa stirred the water with a finger tracing a small circle as it rippled out until it was flat and thin. Her reflection was dull and blurry under the sullied water as if it was blanketed with dirt. She looked deeply into the water. A pair of black glasses flickered in the water; she pressed her glasses closer to the bridge of the nose. A hand grasped her as she felt the air smother into darkness.
****************************
His fingers casually hung against his pocket as his feet droned across the streets. He had nowhere particular to go. He had met Cloud in the movie theater but quickly retreated out of the theater into the cool air as the title flashed against the screen.
"Love and Denial"
He cringed at the name. The name gave away the whole trite plot, and he didn't think he would be able to compel himself to sit and waste a couple of hours on a pointless film where the ending was a given.
Well, would that be so bad. He let the pattering of his feet fill the silence.
He sat through a million of those kinds of films with Cloud and the gang. Never once did he part his lips in protest or complain and whine about the damn movies. The thing was he never liked seeing people sad, it made him feel awfully depressed to see someone crying. But, he never dared show it. Because, tears make people weak and if he cried for every single thing that every happened to him, then...
His arm tightened as an arm smacked his face.
Vincent snapped his flush face, as he turned his head.
Zack had a wide smile glued to his mouth. " I always thought you were too pale,"
Vincent gave Zack a dark look.
Without giving Vincent ample time to ruminate, he grabbed Vincent's arms as he hurried down the street in a frantic run.
"Where are we going?" Vincent stated indifferently.
A sly smiled coiled against Zack's lips.
"I'm going to make you a man....."
*******************************
Red and green was the first thing she saw as her eyes fluttered open. A black leather chair with candles and glimmering dresses scattered against the ground. Everything looked strange.
She was lying sideways against a red-carpeted mat. Her neck was sore, and an awful pain shot out of her right arm. She attempted to scratch the area but her hands were restraint in a thick-knotted rope.
Two suede shoes appeared in her distorted perception.
The only thing she remembered before two girls brought her to her feet and dragged her into another room was the man's whispers.
"Welcome to Don Corneo's"
Three cracks of the horn. Yuffie stuck her small head out of the window screaming at the door as her hands waved frantically calling for Tifa.
Tifa perched her head against the window, sighting Yuffie's wavering body as it shook from side to side, yelling and screaming for her.
She gave a soft smile. It was a first time in a long time she realized how lucky she was to have a friend like Yuffie who was not afraid to be blunt or open. Not afraid to hug someone even if they didn't want one. She wasn't afraid to kick someone in the ass if they were being an ass.
Tifa hurried to her door, as she grabbed a denim coat that was missing two buttons and was fading in the back. But, clothes never seemed to be of much importance. Her brown skirt and white tang top seemed to be enough for the outing. It wasn't like it was a date. Well maybe for some people it was...
A slight chill in the air, made her thankful for the thin denim jacket she brought along. Tifa walked to the front door, but Yuffie signaled her to sit in the back of the van. Tifa uncertainly opened the back door as she spotted Cloud, Aeris and Vincent seated and behind them sat Zack as he greedily stretched his legs against the spacious backseat.
Her eyes caught Vincent's who was seated between Aeris and Cloud. His still body acted as a barrier between the two, but Aeris found a way to overcome all obstacles that stood in her way. She stretched her hand behind Vincent as she pricked and tickled Cloud's ear. Her lips pursed as she giggled while Cloud sat their motionless with a lopsided grin.
"Vincent," Tifa whispered unconsciously.
Vincent tilted his eyes surreptitiously staring at Tifa who stood there with her numb feet glued to the ground. Then he turned his head as though he had never acknowledged her presence.
Tifa felt her body go cold, as her feet became two stags of ice. Everything went dark, all she remembered was a hand grabbing her waist pulling her out of the darkness, slowly tugging her back to reality.
"Tifa, you can sit with me, I have a plenty of space on my side," Zack gave a wide smile as he removed his legs from their stretched position.
"Thanks Zack," she said quietly as Aeris caressed Cloud's spiky hair. Tifa's fingers clawed the seat as she bit down on her lower lip until it grew blue
A hand enveloped itself around Tifa's, gently stroking the porcelain skin.
"Just breathe," Zack said softly giving her a weak smile. His head tilted upward as his eyes wandered from Cloud and Aeris to Yuffie.
Zack held a cigarette loosely to his lips as he let sparks of red linger in the dark night; the ash burning his tongue. His mouth parted as soft rings of gray smoke seeped out.
"Just breathe,"
************************************
The neon lights and glittering letters that pervaded streets, blinked color into the night.
Tifa straightened her body as her head leaned against the pale window as she watched the old decrepit building pass her sight and the pedestrians with unwieldy bags in their hands become distant blurs.
"Let's go, I'm hungry," Yuffie yelped as she parked the car crookedly in a no parking zone and grabbed Zack's arm and hurried into the nearest Chili fries fast food restaurant. Vincent walked a few feet away from the group. His black hair pasted across his skin, concealing a well-chiseled face. Black loose cotton cloth draped carelessly against him blending into the dark. If it weren't for a pale face that glinted behind the apparel, he would have been no more than a mere shadow.
Yuffie hoarded a gallon of chili cheese fries greased with old oil while Zack who placed his ashen shoes on the table, pestered her.
Aeris and Cloud sat across from Yuffie. Aeris held firmly in her hands a large glass of a strawberry shake with two striped straws placed in the center of the cup.
Cloud grabbed a straw for Tifa, but Tifa plainly refused as she sensed Aeris heated cheeks. She driveled on about being lactose intolerant and then hovered over to the condiment section of the shack.
Vincent was sitting in the corner of a table near Zack. A stoic look engraved into his face. Two girls passed by Vincent, giving soft giggles. The girl with cascades of black hair draping over her shoulders accidentally dropped her drink and stumbled into Vincent, forcing him to catch her.
Vincent gave a weak smile as he helped her up, passing her a napkin to clean the stain that sullied her green silk skirt. The girl sat beside Vincent as she folded her dress revealing soft delicate legs.
Tifa watched the girl. Her hair perfectly aligned, not a single strand astray. Her glossy green eyes reflected brilliantly with her emerald dress.
A green tint glazed Tifa's eyes as her gaze shifted back to her own plain self. Her brown skirt and denim jacket felt jaded and old.
Everyone seemed so happy. Aeris hands were gently folded over Cloud's; Yuffie was whining as Zack poked her with a garlic bread stick and even Vincent seemed to be enjoying himself.
Then, why couldn't she smile?
She felt like the odd ball out, the loner who got stuck with the group.
'I'm happy'
She was supposed to be the one who smiled when no one else could. A smile that would wipe away fear and replace it with assurance and confidence. But, how could she make other people smile when she was already forgetting how?
Her hands groped for the back door as she quietly pushed it, letting her lungs tingle with the cold air.
She tightened her fists as she felt a slight rubber prick at her skin. Her left glove was still sown against her skin as though it was a part of her.
The rhythmic pattern of her feet against the asphalt streets provided her with a shred of comfort. The sound of her feet felt so familiar even though she felt so lost.
The city was crowded with strange passerbies. A boy had blue spiked hair with five rings protruding his lips, leaving him forever with a gaping smile. Another man was stark naked from waist up. His skin was pale as snow, but his face showed not the faintest trace of deterioration.
The boy with the blue hair asked her for directions to the post office, but she hadn't the slightest inkling of what he was referring to, for the metal rings impaired his speech, leaving only the sound of grinding metal.
Admiration stirred in her heart, for she didn't have the courage to dye her hair blue or pierce her face. She never had the guts to step out of her own shoes and risk being something or someone else.
She reached down into her pocket and fumbled out a couple of gil.
Seductive neon lights blazed across the street.
She squeezed her fists.
This was her chance to forget, to disappear, and to change.
*********************************
She ruffled her hair as she attempted to grow accustomed to her rash decision to chop her hair of leaving it a little below her shoulders. Her chin nestled against her hair. It was odd how free she felt, how empowering a little cut of a blade might be.
The knee high black boots she bought felt strange against her feet, bumpy and coarse. The black skirt she held had two slits on the sides enabling her to pivot her foot. She kept her white cotton tank top, but concealed her head with a sleek black fisherman's hat
She felt utterly strange. The mirror seemed to reflect a different person, but maybe she just wanted it to. Just for one day, for one moment she wanted to be someone else, a stranger.
They say you learn more about yourself when you walk in different shoes. Well, she was certainly walking in someone else's shoes. The black clasped boots were quite a change from her normal padded shoes.
She pushed the door open as she coughed in the cold air. Gray tinted glasses shielding her claret eyes.
It was the second time she had walked out of a building. The second time she walked down the street. But, this time it was a second chance.
********************************
Vincent had a glazed blank stare blanketing his eyes as the girl pricked at his stiff rigid fingers. The girl shifted closer to his body, as her skin flushed into a crimson red. Her lips twittering closer to his statuette body.
"Vincent," a loud voice screeched.
Vincent abruptly turned his head.
The girl's body fumbled hard into the seat.
"Vincent, do you know where Tifa is? I think she headed down to the movies. Aeris and I are heading down there to catch a movie and check if she's there," Cloud stated quickly as Aeris grabbed his arm pushing him to the revolving door.
"Sorry," Vincent mumbled hoarsely to the girl as he headed for the door, letting a long shudder of air swell into the building.
******************************
Tifa took a long, hard breath as she felt the air rush into her throat. It felt like an ecstatic high to be rid of her old self and just be a stranger...
She hurried down the street, her feet gathering speed as she dug her feet into the ground. She leapt into the air as she raced through the road. She felt invincible, unstoppable.
'But everything falls'
Her boot caught a slight slope in the sidewalk as she fell head first into an unknowing pedestrian on the street.
The man caught her awkwardly, slowly pulling her to her feet.
Tifa felt her cheeks burn as she hung her head in embarrassment.
"Are you okay, miss?" said the young man.
Tifa stared at the man's shoes. The sullied mud beaten, jaded shoes badly needed to be repaired for their injuries. But, they retained an admiring and nonchalant aura to them. An aura that only one person she knew could have...
'Cloud'
She inched her eyes tentatively up as she met stunning blue eyes. Instinctively, she snapped her head down, averting her eyes at the realization.
" Are you sure you're okay," said a sweet honey voice.
Tifa grimaced. As she remained in the hovered position in case she had to vomit. Aeris was such a good person, her heart was pure, and her voice was genuinely concerned.
Cloud circled his arm around Aeris as she pressed her lips against his, giving him a hard kiss. Cloud jerked back, taken aback from her action, but had a warm smile plastered against his lips.
'But, it hurts....'
Her feet were ready to propel forward into a frantic run. But, she always ran.
She turned, facing Aeris and Cloud.
'They don't know who I am'
A sad smile twisted on her lips.
She brusquely turned her head as she faded into the night.
Aeris and Cloud stared at her bemusedly as she dissipated into the fog.
**************************
Brown thins wisps of hair was pasted across her sticky cheeks. She carefully lifted her glasses as she rubbed her face with the back of her hand. Sunglasses couldn't really hide everything. Could they?
'Just breathe'
She felt like punching herself in the face or smacking her head against the brick wall until her head felt cold and numb.
She was so weak and she hated it. The way her body crumbled when she saw him smile at her; the way her body convulse with silent shivers when that smile wasn't directed to her.
She threw her fist against a bricked building, her fingers rubbing against the coarse sand. Her head throbbed and now her sore hand shared some of the pain.
A dark alley stood ominously in the center of two neon signs. But, Tifa walked aimlessly toward he dark alley, as the neon lights faded into the background.
She didn't know what to feel. She didn't understand what she felt for Cloud.
She didn't know what love was or what lust was, or what anything matter of fact was.
Water trickled down a steal pipe as it smeared against the ground forming a small puddle. Tifa stirred the water with a finger tracing a small circle as it rippled out until it was flat and thin. Her reflection was dull and blurry under the sullied water as if it was blanketed with dirt. She looked deeply into the water. A pair of black glasses flickered in the water; she pressed her glasses closer to the bridge of the nose. A hand grasped her as she felt the air smother into darkness.
****************************
His fingers casually hung against his pocket as his feet droned across the streets. He had nowhere particular to go. He had met Cloud in the movie theater but quickly retreated out of the theater into the cool air as the title flashed against the screen.
"Love and Denial"
He cringed at the name. The name gave away the whole trite plot, and he didn't think he would be able to compel himself to sit and waste a couple of hours on a pointless film where the ending was a given.
Well, would that be so bad. He let the pattering of his feet fill the silence.
He sat through a million of those kinds of films with Cloud and the gang. Never once did he part his lips in protest or complain and whine about the damn movies. The thing was he never liked seeing people sad, it made him feel awfully depressed to see someone crying. But, he never dared show it. Because, tears make people weak and if he cried for every single thing that every happened to him, then...
His arm tightened as an arm smacked his face.
Vincent snapped his flush face, as he turned his head.
Zack had a wide smile glued to his mouth. " I always thought you were too pale,"
Vincent gave Zack a dark look.
Without giving Vincent ample time to ruminate, he grabbed Vincent's arms as he hurried down the street in a frantic run.
"Where are we going?" Vincent stated indifferently.
A sly smiled coiled against Zack's lips.
"I'm going to make you a man....."
*******************************
Red and green was the first thing she saw as her eyes fluttered open. A black leather chair with candles and glimmering dresses scattered against the ground. Everything looked strange.
She was lying sideways against a red-carpeted mat. Her neck was sore, and an awful pain shot out of her right arm. She attempted to scratch the area but her hands were restraint in a thick-knotted rope.
Two suede shoes appeared in her distorted perception.
The only thing she remembered before two girls brought her to her feet and dragged her into another room was the man's whispers.
"Welcome to Don Corneo's"