"Hello, Miss Tifa," Marlene smiled jovially. "Did you have a nice day?"

"Marlene, we have to talk," Tifa commanded as she grabbed two chairs and set them across from each other. "Dammit," Tifa thought to herself, "if I don't sound like a nagging mom. What kind of mom runs a bar, anyway?! Maybe I should be thankful I don't have any children of my own, or else they'd turn out really weird, probably. Then again-"

"Miss Tifa?" Marlene queried, interrupting the older woman's thoughts.

Tifa glanced down to see that the child had already seated herself on the chair across from her own. Looking up with big, brown, and shining eyes, Marlene smiled cutely. "You're acting funny tonight, Miss Tifa, are you all right?"

"Dammit, why did I lose my camera?! I should have taken her picture! Sheesh! If she isn't the cutest, sweetest thing in existence! Is anything even allowed to be that cute?!"

Marlene reached over and tapped Tifa's knee.

"Oh! Uh," Tifa stammered. "Marlene, you've been coming home late these past few nights. Is there something wrong?"

"No, Miss Tifa, everything's-"

"Cause if its bullies I can, y'know, beat them up for you," she said, driving her two fists together for emphasis.

"Of course not!" Marlene giggled. "I've been meeting somebody."

"Who, a friend from school?"

"Nope! He's a lot older than me and he wears a really long cape."

Tifa almost fell out of her chair. What in the hell kinda person wears capes and talks to eight year old girls?!

Swallowing hard, Tifa managed to continue. "Okay," she nodded, "uh...what's his name?"

"He never says," Marlene replied truthfully. "He knew your name before I even told it to him, though! Maybe you already know him?"

"A stalker," Tifa grumbled under her breath. "Great. Now I don't know whether to be flattered or disgusted."

"What'd you say?"

"Oh, nothing!" Tifa smiled. "Look, Marlene, I don't think you should talk to that person any more. In fact, if you see him, I want you to run in the opposite direction, okay?"

"But...he seems really nice!" Marlene objected. "I really like talking to him- he tells me all sorts of stories about the planet and the life stream!"

"Oh?" Tifa said as she stood up and walked behind the bar to grab a clean rag.

"Yeah! He kinda reminds me of that lady I met a long time ago...I think she liked to wear purple...or red or something. I think her name was...Aerith? Paris?"

Tifa froze in her tracks. Slowly, she turned around and looked at Marlene directly. "You mean Aeris?"

Marlene's face lit up. "Yes! That was her name! He reminds me a lot of that lady. Hey, where is she, anyway? How come I haven't seen her around?"

Tifa ignored her question and ran back over to where Marlene was sitting. "Marlene, what does this person look like?"

"Um," Marlene paused, putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "He wears a cape- oops, I think I already said that. He wears this funny black suit that I've never seen before. I wonder where he would've gotten it from?"

Until then, Tifa's heart had been racing. For a minute there, it sounded like she was talking about him. Although now it was puzzling that this stranger reminded Marlene of Aeris.

"He's got spiky blonde hair, too," Marlene added as an afterthought.

Tifa's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed on the floor.

The darkness lasted only a few moments, though, and soon Tifa's eyes quickly opened as she lifted herself up again.

"Miss Tifa!" Marlene gasped. "Are you all right?!"

"Y-Yes, Marlene, I'm fine," Tifa replied slowly. Breathing deeply to calm her nerves, she then let out a steady sigh. "Would you mind telling me where you met this person?"

"Not at all," Marlene said as she eyed Tifa cautiously. If the older woman were to suddenly collapse again, it seemed she was determined to try to catch her. "There's an old and abandoned building not far from here. It's about two miles south, near the corner where the old movie plaza used to be."

Tifa nodded. "All right, Marlene," she said, "I'm going to head out there for a bit. Make sure you lock the door behind me, and don't open it for anyone!" She walked over to the door and grabbed a small overcoat to help shield her from the nighttime air. "I don't know when I'll be back, so brush your teeth and wash your face before you go to bed, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!" Marlene smiled as she opened the door to let Tifa outside.

Waiting until the heard the deadbolt lock behind her, Tifa then turned in the direction Marlene had indicated.

As she walked through the empty streets, she could only wonder if it was truly he. Well, if it was, boy was she going to have words with him! Disappearing for years on end was beginning to become a bad habit of his, it seemed.

Doubt slowly changed into anxiousness as Tifa began jogging slowly towards her destination.

"Hello, Tifa!" someone from across the street shouted, startling the poor woman nearly out of her wits.

"Hi there, Marlin," Tifa replied, slowing down to a brisk walk.

"What'cha doin' out this late at night, huh?" he queried as he hurriedly crossed the street to join her.

Tifa rubbed the back of her neck and glanced around. "Uh, I was just out for a quick jog."

"Oh?" Marlin smiled. "Mind if I join you? I don't think it's safe for a lady to be out this late at night."

"Didn't I just say that to someone?" Tifa wondered.

"Well, whaddya say?" he pressed.

"Not tonight, Marlin," Tifa declined. "I'm not going very far, and I'd really rather go by myself."

Marlin smiled at her bluntness. "Short and to the point, Tifa. I like that." He gave her a mock salute before he jogged back across the street. "Have fun!" he shouted after her.

"Thanks!" Tifa waved back as she began running once more towards her goal.

She'd been neglecting her exercises as of late, and yet two miles was still fairly easy for her to jog. All too soon, it seemed that she'd finally arrived, and now...she couldn't decide if she was ready to see who may still be inside.

One look at the building removed any trace of doubt she may have had. It was an old church. The same one she'd passed by on her way to pick up Marlene all those lifetimes ago. The one that Cloud had confided was the first place he'd met Aeris. If he was to be found anywhere in this old town, it was probably here.

Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself before walking briskly through the front archway, whose doors had long since been either destroyed or stolen.

It was exactly the way she remembered it. Broken pews and scattered pieces of glass were strewn all throughout the church, creating an otherwise unsettling atmosphere. One look at the center, however, and all fear seemed to melt away. There, under a mysterious pillar of light (the only one that penetrated the collapsed ceiling), was a small flower garden. Daisies and a few other flowers Tifa couldn't recognize bloomed merrily in the gloomy atmosphere. As it was then, it seemed that this place was now the only one that was truly alive in this ruined city.

Peeling her eyes away from the small menagerie of flowers, Tifa slowly scanned the room. The first thing she noticed was that a certain area of the floor had been cleared of debris- most likely the place where Marlene and her mysterious companion had sat for their discussions. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to be present at the moment and Tifa let out a disheartened sigh. Perhaps it really wasn't him after all?

A small crashing sound jolted her from her musings. Having originated from the tower area in the back, Tifa quickly bolted through the overturned benches towards the sound. Upon arrival, she found a single, shattered vase that had apparently fallen from above. Kneeling down to look more closely, Tifa wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. Everything in this building was old and decrepit, and yet although the vase on the floor was in pieces, Tifa could tell that it was relatively new.

"What the...?" she mumbled softly. Sifting through the broken pieces revealed a small, silver locket. Eyes widening in recognition, Tifa let out a startled gasp. It was the exact same locket she'd given Cloud nearly eight years ago...that same night he'd told her he would be leaving Nibelheim to join SOLDIER. To her, it was only a silly good luck charm to help make the separation easier, but...would he have held onto this worthless trinket for nearly eight years?

Letting out a suppressed chuckle, Tifa moved the tiny latch on the medallion to reveal its contents. That night, she'd told him that once he was accepted into SOLDIER, he would have to put her picture in it as proof to all of the girls who would inevitably flock to such a prestigious man that he had a 'girl' waiting back at home. They had both laughed about it and she had only been half-serious, but wouldn't it be nice if...

Unfortunately, the only thing she found on the inside was a rolled up piece of paper with one sentence neatly written on it:

Let us find the answers for ourselves, together again as we once were.

After reading it and re-reading it again for good measure, Tifa could only tilt her head at the cryptic message that was now in her possession. "What answers? I'm not looking for anything," she said to herself. "Am I...?"

Glancing up to try and determine where the vase had come from, Tifa found herself suddenly frozen in place. There, standing amidst the rafters of the bell tower, was a figure clothed entirely in black.

"W-Wha? It...it can't be!" she told herself over and over again. Even though she could make out the figure well enough, he was simply too far away and the light was so dim way up there that she couldn't make out any facial features. She could, however, feel that his gaze was resting on her.

"W-Who's up there?!" Tifa shouted. "Get down her right now!" she said, stomping her foot to help make her appear agitated while simultaneously disguising the unrest that was plaguing the pit of her stomach.

Oddly enough, the more he stared at her, the less anxious she felt. It almost seemed soothing; pleasant in such a way as to make her more curious as to whom he actually was.

There was something about him. Now that her nerves had calmed, it seemed she could almost sense the power emanating from him. Unlike the fierce, predatory nature of the energy that flowed from the planet's late enemy, this person radiated a quiet inner strength. It was a calm but powerful, soft but deadly aura that gave way to a firm determination- a silent testimony to a greater inner fortitude.

"Cloud?" she called out hesitantly. "Is that you?"

Not a second after the words had escaped her lips, the dark figure slowly made his way towards the large, gaping hole in the ceiling.

"No!" Tifa shouted, nearly panicking. "Wait, where do you think you're going?!" She made her way up the rickety steps, ignoring the groans that the moldy pieces of wood gave out. "Don't you dare leave! It is you, isn't it Cloud?! Cloud! Are you listening to me!!"

It was no use. He had already disappeared through the opening before she was even halfway to the top. "Dammit!" she grunted as she hesitated briefly before jumping over the gaping hole in the middle of the walkway.

"CLOUD!" she screeched as she at last made it to the top, but to no avail. He was no longer present.

No words could describe the conflicting emotions that were whirling about in her head- anger; resentment and sadness- all mixing together to form a mental cacophony that nearly drove her insane.
Letting out a disgusted cry, Tifa crashed her fist into the brittle wall, shattering it into thousands of tiny pieces instantly. "Dammit, Cloud," she said through clenched teeth. Slowly, she sank to the floor and yet she couldn't bring herself to cry. "Why? Why would you come here only to run away? Are you trying to torture me?"

Looking out over the ruined landscape once more before she made her descent, she noticed the same dark figure standing off in the distance, waiting patiently for her.

"Wha...?" Tifa gushed. "What the hell is this?!" It had only been thirty seconds since she'd first lost sight of him, and yet there was no way he could've gotten that far in so little an amount of time.

Even as she looked, the figured turned and leaped ten feet in the air to reach an outcrop of metal. Turning back once more, the man waved briefly before disappearing from sight all together.

Tifa rubbed her eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on her. That person just did two things no human being should be capable of! Could it really be Cloud? If so, why would he run away from her?
Then, she finally understood. Taking out the note, she read it over once more in her mind.

"I understand," she whispered resolutely. "You want me to follow you, don't you?" Slowly she stood to her feet and brushed her legs and skirt free of dust. "All right, then," she declared loudly to no one but herself, "if that's what it takes to see you again. But I swear, I'm gonna give you the worst beating of your life when I find you!!"

FFVII

Tired and worn, Tifa took out her small key and unlocked the front door to her bar. Silently ascending the stairs, she quietly stepped into her room to avoid waking her younger charge.

Too exhausted to change into her nightgown, Tifa merely fell into her bed and drifted off to sleep almost instantly.

The next morning she awoke at the first sign of daylight. Peeking over to make sure Marlene was still quite sound asleep, Tifa gingerly pulled out a suitcase and began packing what few belongings they shared.

She hesitated when she realized she was about to put her gloves into the bag. Would she really need them? Now that all of the Mako reactors had shut down there weren't very many monsters wandering around. Also, any human that affronted her would be easy enough to take down without them. On a whim, she went ahead and put them into the bag, rationalizing that she wouldn't be able to break Cloud's jaw without them.

After clothes and toiletries, the only thing she needed to bring now was her gil stash. Deftly descending the stairs and moving behind the counter, she pulled aside a sliding panel to reveal a numerical pad. Upon punching in the combination, there was a soft clicking sound as the small box behind her unlocked. Disguised as an empty wine case, any soul unlucky enough to try and grab it (or to punch in the incorrect combination on the pad, for that matter) was treated to a barrage of pepper shot that would launch from the concealed gun in the ceiling. Having been on the receiving end of it in Wall Market several years back, Tifa knew all too well how effective it could be as a security device. Fortunately for her, she'd found it buried under a pile of rubble about two weeks ago before it had a chance to be snatched up.

Reaching into the little portmanteau, she removed a second tiny box and turned the combination dial, finally revealing the pocketbook.

Grabbing it, she returned upstairs to her room to find Marlene in the process of getting out of bed.

"Guhmerning, Miss Tifa," she yawned. Looking over at the suitcase, she asked, "What's that for? Are you going somewhere?"

"Well, sort of. Good news, though! You're coming with me!" Tifa grinned.

"Really?!" Marlene gasped, all the effects of sleep now gone. "Where are we going?!"

"Uh, er- I..." she stammered. "I'm not really sure, heh," she laughed nervously. "I was thinking of going to a few places..."

"Like?" Marlene prodded.

"Well, uh, Kalm-"

"Kalm?!"

"And Nibelheim," Tifa added.

"Nibelheim?! But those places are so far away!"

"I know, Dear, I really do, and I wish-"

"This is gonna be so cool!" Marlene gushed, jumping out of bed and running around the room. "Where's all my stuff? I need to pack!"

Tifa sighed with relief. At least the girl wasn't averse to the idea of doing a little globetrotting. "I already packed for you," Tifa said lightly. "I managed to put it all in one suitcase."

"When do we leave, when do we leave?!"

"How about...oh, um..." she glanced down at Marlene mischievously, "...right now!"

"YES!"

Not two seconds later and Marlene had managed to pull Tifa out of the front door.

Grinning widely, Tifa took out her key and turned the bolt.

"Wait a minute, what's this?" came a voice from behind them.

"Marlin!" Marlene shouted as she turned and saw who it was. "We're going on a trip!"

"B...But I was just coming in for a drink!" Marlin protested.

Tifa sighed at the hurt look he was giving her. "Look, Marlin, I'm really sorry, but this is really important to me. It's kind of a personal matter..."

"Oh, no!" Marlin said quickly, "I don't mind- besides, you can do whatever you want, but it's just that...where will I get my drinks from?"

Tifa returned a smile. She could tell that he was trying to hide his disappointment. Then, she got an idea.

Walking up to him, she grabbed his hand and pressed her key firmly into his palm.

"Whoa now, hand on a second!" he exclaimed. "Tifa, I-"

"Don't worry about it," she laughed, "I trust you. Besides, I need someone to take care of the place while I'm gone."

Marlin's face was a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. "Are you really sure?"

"Yes!" Tifa remarked, shoving him towards the door. "Help yourself to whatever's in there, all right?"

Marlin seemed hesitant at first, but then his face lit up brightly. "All right!" he said, pumping his fist into the air. "Sounds like a plan."

"Oh, and just two things," Tifa said as she turned to walk towards the outskirts of the city. "There's a little black box on the bar...don't touch it, okay?"

"Don't touch the box, got it. What's the other thing?"

Tifa looked him squarely in the eyes and pointed her finger at him. "Stay out of my room."

FFVII

All of the train stations had been wrecked, and without mako energy automobiles were a thing of the past. Thus, they were forced to rent chocobos for their journey. Personally, Tifa never really liked the birds. Sure, they were cute in their own way, but they smelled funny and they bounced around a lot when they ran- not very good for someone of her build.

Marlene, on the other hand, couldn't be happier. It was the first time she'd been on a chocobo, as well as the first time in a while that she'd been out of the Midgar area. If her eyes shone any brighter they could've be visible from space.

"Miss Tifa," Marlene asked, "What's that?!"

Following her outstretched arm, Tifa noted the location. She didn't need a moment to recollect it, for she remembered it all too well. "Those are the Mythril Mines," she spoke up. "After we go to Kalm, we'll go that way to get to Junon. From there, we'll take a quick boat ride to the Eastern Continent."

"Wow, is that a pretty place? I've never been there before!"

"Tell you what," Tifa said, turning her head slightly so that she could see Marlene. "When we get to Kalm, I'll buy you a map so you can see all the places we'll be going to."

"Really? Thanks so much!" Marlene grinned, hugging Tifa tightly from behind.

As was expected, the duo arrived at Kalm without incident. As it began to appear over the horizon, Tifa found herself raising her eyebrows slightly in surprise. Considering all that had happened, the city had been restored fairly well. It stood to reason though, since Meteor had concentrated its fall solely on Midgar.

"Is that it?" Marlene asked.

"Yup. This is Kalm. This was where you were staying before I found you and brought you back to Midgar, remember?"

"Ooh," Marlene crooned.

Obviously she did not remember.

Riding slowly into the town, Tifa hopped off of the chocobo and helped Marlene get down as well. After tying the bird to a post, Tifa then took the opportunity to stretch her weary muscles. It had been so long since she'd ridden one of those things that her body had grown unaccustomed to it.

"Look, Miss Tifa!" Marlene called as she ran over to a small kiosk. Its shelves were adorned with all sorts of tiny, furry animals that didn't look at all like anything Tifa had ever seen. "Aren't they cute?"

"What a precious child!" the woman behind the cart smiled. "What's your name, dear?"

"Marlene!" she replied swiftly. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

Tifa smiled. She'd instructed Marlene on proper greeting techniques so long ago that she figured the little girl would've forgotten them by now.

"She's just so adorable! Is she your daughter?" the woman addressed Tifa.

"No, she's my friend's daughter. I'm taking care of her 'till he comes home."

"My, my! I remember when my little girl was your age! She was as cute as a button."

"Oh? I'm sorry, but you wouldn't happen to have any maps, would you?" Tifa asked. She hated to change the topic, but she really didn't want to be bogged down by this woman's nostalgia.

"Why, of course we do!" the lady replied. Reaching behind the cart, she pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. "This one has all of the major locations on the continent."

"Good. I'll take one," Tifa nodded. Seeing that Marlene was eyeing the furry creatures, she added: "And I'll take one of those, as well."

"Oh? Which color would you like, Marlene?" the woman asked.

Marlene put a finger to her lip thoughtfully. "Um...the purple one!" she decided at last.

"What good taste! Now, did you need anything else, Miss?"

"Could you point me in the direction of the inn?"

"Right up the stairs and to your left," the lady pointed. "Can't miss it! That'll be fifty gil."

Tifa pulled out her pocketbook and paid the woman. Then, ushering Marlene up the stairs and into the inn, she was swiftly greeted by the clerk.

"Renting a room today, Ma'am?" he asked politely.

"Actually," Tifa replied, "I was looking for someone. I don't suppose a guy by the name of Cloud Strife is staying here at the moment?"

The man ran down the list of names, but shook his head negatively. "I'm sorry, Miss, but there's nobody by that name."

"Tifa Lockhart?" she ventured a guess.

Once again the man shook his head.

"Any messages?"

"For whom?"

"For me."

"And...your name is...?"

"Tifa Lockhart!"

The man jumped slightly. "Oh! That's your name, is it? I thought you looked kinda familiar! You were in here a while ago, weren't you? Kind of a rag tag bunch with some spiky-headed blonde guy?"

"Uh...yeah, that would be me, heh-heh," she laughed forcefully.

"It's odd, y'know? You aren't the first one to ask me that sort of thing, lately."

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked suspiciously. Then, looking down to Marlene, she spoke, "Marlene, why don't you go play outside for bit? I'll be out in a little while, okay?"

"Okay!" Marlene chimed. Clutching her plush toy and map in her arms she raced out the door and down the stairs, disappearing from sight.

"Now then, please continue," Tifa mentioned.

"Well, it was a few days ago. Some really creepy guy came in here looking for you...I don't remember him being with you before, though. Can't see someone like you hanging around a spooky guy like that anyway," he scoffed.

"Do you remember what he was wearing?"

"Red," the man replied simply. "He was dressed almost entirely in red. He had these buggy red eyes, too. Nearly scared me to death, too. I was looking away from the door, and when I turned around- BAM!- he was right there. Didn't hear the door open or anything."

"That would be Vincent," Tifa offered, smiling widely. "He tends to do stuff like that."

The man's eyes widened. "You mean you actually know him?!"

"He's really a nice guy," Tifa explained. "You just have to get to know him."

"Boy, oh boy," the man rubbed his nose wearily. "Well, all I can tell you is that I had nightmares after seeing him."

Tifa could only laugh at the man's dilemma. It was true that Vincent had a very otherworldly and oppressive air about him, but after she'd been around him a while she learned to see what a genuinely good person he was.

"I don't suppose he said where he was going, did he?" Tifa queried.

"Uh, yeah, actually, he did! Where was it...uh, Ni...Nibelheim?"

"That's the place!" Tifa said excitedly. Well, now at least she knew that there might be someone waiting for her in Nibelheim.

"Is it? Heh, never heard of it before."

"It's on the Eastern Continent," Tifa remarked dryly.

"You've been to the Eastern Continent?!"
"Look," Tifa said gently, "I'd really like to stay and chat, but I need to be going now. I appreciate your help, though!"

"Well, you're welcome," he sighed. "Have a good trip."

"Thanks!" Tifa said again as she hurriedly left the building. "Marlene!" she called loudly.

"Here!" Marlene saluted as she jumped to attention. She had been sitting down near the small fountain where the large drill used to be.

"Let's saddle up," Tifa called as she moved towards the chocobo.

Five minutes later, and they were once again on the open prairies. Once they came to a rather large sand marsh, though, Tifa pulled the chocobo to a halt.

"Why'd we stop?" Marlene asked. "The mines are just up ahead, aren't they?"

"Well...yeah," Tifa said truthfully. Then, she jumped down off of the bird and began rummaging through her pack. Pulling out her gloves, she slipped them onto her fists and began trudging into the marsh.

"Miss Tifa?"

"Wait right there, Marlene," Tifa commanded. "I'll be right back."

"All right!" Marlene replied, completely oblivious as to what was about to occur.

Breaking into a swift jog, Tifa quickly cleared several dunes to make sure she was out of sight from the little girl. Then, all she had to do was wait. If they hadn't changed these past few years, they would come sniffing around to try and make her their next meal. Tsch...like that was every going to happen.

Sure enough, soon there was a small rumbling noise as the creature rapidly approached her.

"All right," Tifa said mentally. "It's been a while, but these things are a cinch."

She hadn't quite finished psyching herself up before the humongous zolom lurched from the sand, hissing wildly as it eyed her hungrily.

"Here we go!" Tifa shouted, crouching down to push herself forward at an incredible speed. She wasn't about to let it get the chance to attack her first.

She needn't have worried. Her punch was so powerful that, instead of merely striking the animal as she had intended, her fist punctured the scaly armor and traveled inside the creature's body.

"Eeww!" Tifa squealed even as the snake writhed in agony on the ground before unceremoniously dying.

"Well," she remarked glibly, "That wasn't so bad."

She turned around and began walking back towards the chocobo...

...And had just enough time to roll sideways before a second zolom's powerful jaws clamped shut on her body.

"What the?!!" she shouted. "They never attack in pairs! Whoa!" she rolled to the side once more to avoid being struck by the monster's enormous tail.

No longer on the offensive, Tifa could only roll and handspring backwards to avoid the fatal jaws of her opponent. Once more, the zolom used its incredible tail to try and pummel her. Reacting quickly, Tifa brought her arms up to shield her face and upper body, but the blow still sent her flying, as well as nearly breaking her bones in the process.

"Gah!" she yelped. "Okay...no more doing that..."

Dammit, this was bad. This wasn't any regular zolom; otherwise, she would've been finished with the fight by now. This one was fast- fast and strong, which was certainly something she hadn't been expecting. She'd have to be on her toes for this one if she wanted to survive.

The snake took a moment to recoil its body in preparation for another onslaught. Tifa used the opening as a chance to attack. Rushing in swiftly, she pummeled the beast with blow after blow, finishing up with a powerful roundhouse kick that would send any human sailing across the sky.

The beast flinched slightly, but otherwise showed no signs of injury as it raced towards her once more.

"Oh, crap," Tifa said flatly.

Leaping past the creature's head as it raced towards her and into the air, she landed squarely on it's scaly back and began running the length of its body. Unnerved at the contact, the zolom deftly struck at her with its fangs, but she slid off its posterior just in time to avoid being hit. If her situation wasn't so dire, Tifa probably would have laughed at the site of the zolom biting it's own body, but at least now she had a funny story for late nights at the bar.

However, it seemed that the self-inflicted wound only angered the beast more. Rising up to its full height, it struck at Tifa with such aggressive speed that her only recourse was to put out her hands defensively to catch its powerful jaws.

Bad move. Already Tifa knew that she could only last a few moments before her arms would give way, leaving her wide open for a counter attack. She had to come up with a plan, and quick!

Pushing with all of her might, Tifa managed to regain her foothold on the ground. Once she'd done so, she stepped aside and used the zolom's forward exertion to send it crashing into the sand.

Gathering all of her energy into her legs, Tifa leaped on top of the beast's body once more. Now that she had a clear vantage point of it's head, Tifa jumped towards it, ready to deal a fatal blow to the monster's skull.

The zolom, however, sensed the danger and turned deftly to face the onslaught. Jaws open wide it caught Tifa in its mouth midair and swallowed her whole.

Sinking slowly to the ground, the zolom began to slither underneath the sand once more.

Then, a rather odd thing happened. The monster began convulsing rapidly, as if some unseen force had struck it. Lifting its head up high, the beast let out a terrifying howl before its entire upper half exploded into a burst of flames mingled with scaly flesh and bone.

Tifa emerged from the inferno, landing skillfully on the ground and clutching a single red materia in her left hand.

"Hah!" she wheezed. "Take that, you...stupid animal!"

Sighing heavily, she sank to the ground and attempted to catch her breath.

That was when the ground started to shake again...

"You have got to be kidding me!!"