A/N: Hey! Thanks Garret Jax for all the Advice. Thanks for the reviews. I
really needed a couple good reviews too keep going! Thanks a bunch! I'm
Sorry about the delay. My computer has been acting up lately. Anywho....
Chapter 11!
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My Reflection
The deep red mist and thick clouds of smoke covered all of Midgar and sent ash falling across the entire planet. From the Highwind you could see the faint glimmer of flames and burning mako generators crumbling to the base of city.
On board the rocketing air ship, most stayed silent. Occasionally you could here Barret's whimpers and Tifa whispering back to him, trying to calm his anxiety. Barret sat resting his elbows on his knees, to the left of the gray control panels.
"I'm sorry Barret." Whispered Tifa as she held his large body barely in her grasp. She sat on her knees, with her arms wrapped around his chest and back, crying along with him. She looked to Barret's eyes, which were covered by his massive bear paw hand. Tears dripped down his face and the back of his hand, landing on his long green pants. Tifa peered out the front window, looking into the endless red gleamed void of haze. The layers of smoke thickened as they approached closer to the city, going from a dim glow to a vibrant red display of thick flames, covering the outer rim of Midgar.
More tears slipped down Tifa's cheek, then dripping onto Barret's shoulder. She let go of her firm grasp of Barret, and sat catching her tears in the palm of her hand. Barret sobbed more and shook his head back and forth, still in the palm of his hand.
"No!" she cried as he shook from side to side. Tifa looked to him and then to the collection of tears in her palm.
"I'm sorry." She cried. Tifa took her palm of tears and dripped it gently onto the floor.
Why is this happening? Why did I lose Cloud? Why did holy not come?
Why can't this be a dream?
She thought to herself.
"Why?" She screamed. Tifa shook her hair back and whipped the tears off her face. She quickly and firmly planted her feet on the floor, standing in her puddle of tears. She looked to Red and Cid in despair, but yet through the harshly squinted face, she smiled. Not a grin, a smile, hidden beneath her tears and clenched jaw. She looked down at Barret and then again to the rest of the party.
"We have all lost some one dear to us, some one we could depend on in times like these, but we are on our own now. We are alone."
No Tifa. I'm here.....
Said a familiar voice.
Tifa stood in awe at what she had felt. She had a superfluous joy, in spite of the current tragedies, she was happy. A greater smile grew on her face and she nearly grinned. Red and Cid looked at her in surprise.
"Tifa?" asked Cid, still clinching onto his cigarette.
"No. We are not alone." She said. "Cid take us lower. I want to go down there!"
Cid chuckled and took his cigarette from his mouth. "Are you crazy? Its as hot as...."
A deep, crackling voice abruptly interrupted Cid, leaving him stuttering in mid-sentence.
"We're goin!" Yelled Barret. "Lower the ship!" Cid dared not argue with Barret in this mood. He looked over to Tifa, who was standing with one hand on her hip, glaring into Cid's eyes.
"Yes Mam!" He yelled. Cid looked down to the control panel and punched a few buttons and looked forward through the center window. The haze lightened and began to thin as they descended to the lost inferno.
"Here we go!" yelled Cid.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * *
The Highwind made its descent down to the fiery rubble, and through the now black smoke, clouding their vision. The air ship made it's way to the center of the city, where most of the from it's depths the smoke bellowed heavily. They looked out the main window as they passed the center of what used to be Midgar. Through the heavy smoke they could make out a massive crater where Holy had made it's last stand against the evil black magic meteor.
"Holy nearly defeated it!" Yelled Red. He jumped onto the window, leaning against it with his front two paws. "Some of the City may still be intact!"
Barret looked out the window with a faint glimmer of hope; hope that Marlene had made it, hope that he could return to a life of normalcy. But that hope and life was gone in an instant. He shed a small amount of tears, and his lower lip grew, flinching with every deepening breath.
"Take me to the Hide out! NOW!" Barret screamed. Cid looked in confusion to Tifa. He had never been to the Hid Out before. How should he know where it is?
"I'll show you where it is Cid. Over there." She said as she pointed to the right of the large crater. "Head to that small cluster of buildings!"
Cid looked out the window, staring through the misty gleam. "You'll have to go down the ladder. I cant land here." he sighed.
The ship circled over the location of the Hide out, looking to see if Holy had saved enough of it to recognize.
"There!" yelled Tifa. She smiled in joy that it was still intact. She looked into the window, staring at her own reflection. Her mind swiftly went into a phase of deep thoughts, memories of her youthful days here, at home.
Remember that time when we first got you to work for us Cloud? You were so focused on getting a paycheck , it was like you didn't remember our youthful days together. Our days on the small slum playground. But..... That was not you. That was Zack. Why did our lives have to turn out this way. I miss you both.
"Tifa! Tifa!" yelled a low beating voice. Tifa drifted away from her memories and looked over to the voice that called her. There Barret stood, with her arm in his grasp. She smiled and nodded her head.
"Let's go. Cid says he has some special mask things, so we can breathe down there. Come on!"
"Mhm" mumbled Tifa as she nodded again. Tifa glanced quickly back to her reflection, with the Avalanche Hide Out directly behind it.
My home.
Our home. She thought as she walked away from the window, leaving her reflection.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
My Reflection
The deep red mist and thick clouds of smoke covered all of Midgar and sent ash falling across the entire planet. From the Highwind you could see the faint glimmer of flames and burning mako generators crumbling to the base of city.
On board the rocketing air ship, most stayed silent. Occasionally you could here Barret's whimpers and Tifa whispering back to him, trying to calm his anxiety. Barret sat resting his elbows on his knees, to the left of the gray control panels.
"I'm sorry Barret." Whispered Tifa as she held his large body barely in her grasp. She sat on her knees, with her arms wrapped around his chest and back, crying along with him. She looked to Barret's eyes, which were covered by his massive bear paw hand. Tears dripped down his face and the back of his hand, landing on his long green pants. Tifa peered out the front window, looking into the endless red gleamed void of haze. The layers of smoke thickened as they approached closer to the city, going from a dim glow to a vibrant red display of thick flames, covering the outer rim of Midgar.
More tears slipped down Tifa's cheek, then dripping onto Barret's shoulder. She let go of her firm grasp of Barret, and sat catching her tears in the palm of her hand. Barret sobbed more and shook his head back and forth, still in the palm of his hand.
"No!" she cried as he shook from side to side. Tifa looked to him and then to the collection of tears in her palm.
"I'm sorry." She cried. Tifa took her palm of tears and dripped it gently onto the floor.
Why is this happening? Why did I lose Cloud? Why did holy not come?
Why can't this be a dream?
She thought to herself.
"Why?" She screamed. Tifa shook her hair back and whipped the tears off her face. She quickly and firmly planted her feet on the floor, standing in her puddle of tears. She looked to Red and Cid in despair, but yet through the harshly squinted face, she smiled. Not a grin, a smile, hidden beneath her tears and clenched jaw. She looked down at Barret and then again to the rest of the party.
"We have all lost some one dear to us, some one we could depend on in times like these, but we are on our own now. We are alone."
No Tifa. I'm here.....
Said a familiar voice.
Tifa stood in awe at what she had felt. She had a superfluous joy, in spite of the current tragedies, she was happy. A greater smile grew on her face and she nearly grinned. Red and Cid looked at her in surprise.
"Tifa?" asked Cid, still clinching onto his cigarette.
"No. We are not alone." She said. "Cid take us lower. I want to go down there!"
Cid chuckled and took his cigarette from his mouth. "Are you crazy? Its as hot as...."
A deep, crackling voice abruptly interrupted Cid, leaving him stuttering in mid-sentence.
"We're goin!" Yelled Barret. "Lower the ship!" Cid dared not argue with Barret in this mood. He looked over to Tifa, who was standing with one hand on her hip, glaring into Cid's eyes.
"Yes Mam!" He yelled. Cid looked down to the control panel and punched a few buttons and looked forward through the center window. The haze lightened and began to thin as they descended to the lost inferno.
"Here we go!" yelled Cid.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * *
The Highwind made its descent down to the fiery rubble, and through the now black smoke, clouding their vision. The air ship made it's way to the center of the city, where most of the from it's depths the smoke bellowed heavily. They looked out the main window as they passed the center of what used to be Midgar. Through the heavy smoke they could make out a massive crater where Holy had made it's last stand against the evil black magic meteor.
"Holy nearly defeated it!" Yelled Red. He jumped onto the window, leaning against it with his front two paws. "Some of the City may still be intact!"
Barret looked out the window with a faint glimmer of hope; hope that Marlene had made it, hope that he could return to a life of normalcy. But that hope and life was gone in an instant. He shed a small amount of tears, and his lower lip grew, flinching with every deepening breath.
"Take me to the Hide out! NOW!" Barret screamed. Cid looked in confusion to Tifa. He had never been to the Hid Out before. How should he know where it is?
"I'll show you where it is Cid. Over there." She said as she pointed to the right of the large crater. "Head to that small cluster of buildings!"
Cid looked out the window, staring through the misty gleam. "You'll have to go down the ladder. I cant land here." he sighed.
The ship circled over the location of the Hide out, looking to see if Holy had saved enough of it to recognize.
"There!" yelled Tifa. She smiled in joy that it was still intact. She looked into the window, staring at her own reflection. Her mind swiftly went into a phase of deep thoughts, memories of her youthful days here, at home.
Remember that time when we first got you to work for us Cloud? You were so focused on getting a paycheck , it was like you didn't remember our youthful days together. Our days on the small slum playground. But..... That was not you. That was Zack. Why did our lives have to turn out this way. I miss you both.
"Tifa! Tifa!" yelled a low beating voice. Tifa drifted away from her memories and looked over to the voice that called her. There Barret stood, with her arm in his grasp. She smiled and nodded her head.
"Let's go. Cid says he has some special mask things, so we can breathe down there. Come on!"
"Mhm" mumbled Tifa as she nodded again. Tifa glanced quickly back to her reflection, with the Avalanche Hide Out directly behind it.
My home.
Our home. She thought as she walked away from the window, leaving her reflection.