Fear and Courage Chapter 9
It was just like it had always been. Balloons everywhere, the whole place lit up, children screaming as the roller coasters rolled downhill, as if they were out of control. Chocobos racing as hard as they can to reach the finish line for the people who had bet on them. Arcade-addicts, feet glued
to the snowboards, or their rear-ends stuck to the motorbikes. And Cait
Sith giving out fortunes, or 'misfortunes' to be precise.
Yes, this was the Gold Saucer everybody knew and loved.
The tram arrived as always and slowly grinded to a halt. Steam was released before the door flew open. Out walked our teenage rebel Yuffie Kisaragi in
a blue silk kimono, wearing her brown, rubber Zori on her feet, Cid
'where's my goddamn tea' Highwind in his usual outfit with his pilot goggles resting above his forehead followed. Marlene Wallace pursued in her
green, floral dress, with her father, Barret Wallace in his sleeveless
jacket and combat pants, equipped with his Missing Score.
Finally, out came the beautiful Tifa Lockheart, in her light denim jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt, which read, 'You naughty boy, get to my room!' Tifa wasn't the type of girl who would wear this shirt, but Cid insisted that she should wear it to show her fun side, because he knew she had one. They all knew she had a fun side, but she only showed it to her friends.
She wore white Reebok trainers and was equipped with her Premium Heart.
"Okay," Yuffie spun around quickly and asked. "Where should we go first?"
"First? I thought we were only goin' ta pick up Cait Sith!" Barret exclaimed. "Wrongo! We're gonna go have some fun first, THEN we can pick up
Cait Sith. You can take Marli to the show if she wants to go." Tifa agreed. "I'm sure Marlene would love that." She silently reflected on the time when her and Cloud appeared in the show as the '100th couple.' How Cloud pretended to save her from the Evil Dragon King, how he kissed her
hand, how soft his lips were...
"Tifa, hello? Wake up, back to reality!" Yuffie shouted and clicked her
fingers in front of Tifa's face. "Hey!"
"I'm sorry you guys. Guess I zoned out." "You sure did, you were out for about a minute! Will you ever stop thinking
about Cloud?"
Tifa head was screaming, "How is it that everyone knows? Man this is
annoying. I'm sure one of them has already told him. Have they?" "Right that's it," Yuffie grabbed Tifa's hand and dragged her to the Round
Square. "Your gonna have fun tonight, and leave Cloud outta your mind,
okay?" Tifa just smiled. Cid had already wondered off to Speed Square.
"Two please." The teenager stated to the ticket lady. She snatched them and ran in the cart. Tifa quickly muttered a thank you before being pulled into
the cart.
"God," Yuffie sighed. "If this is what fallin' in love does to ya, I think I'll pass on it." Tifa stared at her for a few seconds then continued to look out of the window. "Aww c'mon Tifa-chan, don't look at me like that. Look, isn't it great? The view, I mean." It certainly was great, the view, I mean. The whole of the Gold Saucer was alive, there wasn't a part of it
that wasn't lit up or wasn't lively. The Chocobos and the racers went zooming past the two of them; both of them felt the air hit their faces.
"Yeah, yeah it is. I'm sorry Yuffie-sama. It's just. I remember coming here with Cloud. Seeing the same sights, going to the same places. I can't help
but think about him, y'know?" "Yeah I know. But you know, it's Christmas Eve, and you should be having fun, like the rest of us. We've still got the rest of the day ahead of us. We'll go and get Nanaki and Vincent, as well as Cait Sith, then we'll stay
somewhere near Costa Del Sol, and we'll go and see Cloud. Okay?"
Tifa hated to admit in her mind, but Yuffie was right. She was going to see
him tomorrow. Why was she complaining?
"Yeah, okay. You're right."
"I know I am. Let's go have some fun then!"
Barret and Marlene were lucky enough to get front row seats for the show.
Marlene absolutely loved fairy tales, especially the endings, where the prince kissed the princess and lived happily ever after. It was always the
same. As the show was drawing to an end, Tifa and Yuffie decided to watch until it was finally over. Tifa watched and replayed 'that night' in her mind.
Flashback
Narration: Long, long ago... An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia... Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon
King, Valvados. What will become of her? Just then, the legendary hero,
Alfred appears!!
Cloud and the Knight appeared on the stage.
Knight: Oh... You must be the legendary hero... Alfred!
Cloud didn't say anything.
Knight: Hey, it's your line.
Cloud points at himself as if to say 'Me?'
Knight: Yeah, you. Ahem! Oh... You must be the legendary hero... Alfred! I know in my soul. Please... please save Princess Rosa! Now... Please talk...
to the King...!!
The King appeared on the stage.
King: Oh... legendary hero, Alfred. You have come to save my beloved Rosa... On the peak of a dangerous mountain... dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados... Who's kidnapped Princess Rosa... But... you can't beat the Evil
Dragon King now! Talk to one who can help you...
The Wizard appeared on the stage. Cloud talks to the Wizard.
Wizard: I am the great wizard, Vorman. What do you wish to know?
Cloud: The Evil Dragon King's weakness.
Wizard: Ahh, the weakness of the Evil Dragon King. It must be, it must be... Yes, it must be... True love! The power of love... Is the only weapon
that can withstand the fangs of the Evil Dragon King...!
Narration: Oh what is going to happen next...! Oh...Legendary hero... look!
The Evil Dragon King appeared with Tifa as the Princess being held by him.
EDK (Evil Dragon King): Gaaaaaaaah! I am the Evil Dragon King... Valvados!
I have not harmed the Princess... I have been expecting... you!
Tifa: Please help me... Legendary hero... Alfred! Psst.... like that?
EDK: Gaaaaaah! Here I come, legendary hero... Alfred! I already know...
your name!
Wizard: And now... Legendary hero...! Here is what will happen... to your
beloved...... A kiss! The power of True Love!!
Cloud kisses Tifa's hand.
Tifa: Cloud... I mean, Alfred.
EDK: Arrggaahhh!! Curses... The power of... love!!
The EDK disappeared.
King: Oh... look! Love has... triumphed! Now let's all return... And
celebrate.
End of Flashback
The whole audience, including Barret and Marlene stood up and cheered for true love's triumph. Yuffie and Tifa walked out of Event Square and found themselves at Battle Square. Tifa punched and kicked without much power, because after one hit, each enemy was dead, and she had 9,999 HP anyway, so
there was no need for curing, really.
The Speed Square was much more fun, though. All there was to see was Yuffie hands in the air, waving around. But apart from that, Tifa was happy with
the ride.
Tifa raced her Gold Chocobo at Chocobo Square and won herself a fair amount of GP. Yuffie and winning did not go together, so she didn't win a single
race.
Both girls hated the Ghost Hotel, and decided it was time to meet up with Cait Sith at Wonder Square. At they jumped out of the whole, they saw that
some people had beaten them to it. Reno and Rude. They wanted their fortunes to be told. Cait Sith did his dance and the girls waited for his
answer.
"Aha," Cait Sith held a card out to each of them.
"What the...? Time is of the essence, your lucky number is 4,000?" Reno wasn't happy with the outcome of his. Rude was no different. "Seek and ye
shall find. Something big will happen next year? Right that's it. I'm gonna..." Before he could speak further, Yuffie and Tifa ran up behind them.
"Not so fast," Yuffie yelled. The little cat jumped on Tifa's shoulder and Yuffie drew her Conformer. "No need, Miss Kisa... um... whatever. We're not staying, so please, put it away." Rude stayed silent, only because Tifa was
stood there, looking as lovely as ever. Reno pulled Rude by his collar.
"C'mon, Rude. We make our leave." They left for Wonder Square.
Cait Sith, who had hid under his HP Shout all that time, finally came out
and sighed. "Thanks, you guys. God I hate them." "No problem, Cait." Yuffie replied. "By the way, could you skip work for a
while? We're gonna go see Cloud for Christmas. Y'know, a reunion kinda
thang?"
"Sounds great! Who's here now?" "Um, well there's me and Tifa-chan here, Cid's here and Marli and Barret
are here somewhere..."
Here conversation was cut short when the three that had just been named
jump out of different holes. "Cait! How'ya been?"
"Not too bad. Jus' nearly got attacked by Reno n' Rude."
"No you did not!" Yuffie shouted. "We were here, so they ran off!"
"Anyway, you comin' with us or not?" Cid blurted out.
"Yeah, I'm ready when you are!" Cait Sith jumped back onto his mog and
jumped down the Station hole.
"Alright, everyone had fun?" Barret asked. Everyone replied in unison,
"Yeah!" "Alright, let's go. We got Vinnie and Red to get!" Yuffie stated and ran to join Cait Sith at the Station. "C'mon Marlene, let's go," Barret picked his
daughter up and jumped down the hole.
Cid was about to jump, when he saw Tifa behind him, looking down at the
floor. "You not had fun?"
Tifa looked up quickly and smiled softly. "Of course I've had fun, it's
just strange seeing old enemies, isn't it?" "Yeah," Cid replied. "An' I heard that Rude guy had a crush on you. Hehehe.
Not your type, huh?" Tifa laughed. "Not really. Come on, the guys will be waiting for us." So Cid jumped down the shoot. Tifa was just about to follow, but she felt like
she was being watched. She turned slightly to find Rude, staring at her from the path to the Wonder Square. She turned back and jumped after Cid.
Rude looked away and continued after Reno.
He wasn't Tifa's type at all. But she knew someone who was...
It was just like it had always been. Balloons everywhere, the whole place lit up, children screaming as the roller coasters rolled downhill, as if they were out of control. Chocobos racing as hard as they can to reach the finish line for the people who had bet on them. Arcade-addicts, feet glued
to the snowboards, or their rear-ends stuck to the motorbikes. And Cait
Sith giving out fortunes, or 'misfortunes' to be precise.
Yes, this was the Gold Saucer everybody knew and loved.
The tram arrived as always and slowly grinded to a halt. Steam was released before the door flew open. Out walked our teenage rebel Yuffie Kisaragi in
a blue silk kimono, wearing her brown, rubber Zori on her feet, Cid
'where's my goddamn tea' Highwind in his usual outfit with his pilot goggles resting above his forehead followed. Marlene Wallace pursued in her
green, floral dress, with her father, Barret Wallace in his sleeveless
jacket and combat pants, equipped with his Missing Score.
Finally, out came the beautiful Tifa Lockheart, in her light denim jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt, which read, 'You naughty boy, get to my room!' Tifa wasn't the type of girl who would wear this shirt, but Cid insisted that she should wear it to show her fun side, because he knew she had one. They all knew she had a fun side, but she only showed it to her friends.
She wore white Reebok trainers and was equipped with her Premium Heart.
"Okay," Yuffie spun around quickly and asked. "Where should we go first?"
"First? I thought we were only goin' ta pick up Cait Sith!" Barret exclaimed. "Wrongo! We're gonna go have some fun first, THEN we can pick up
Cait Sith. You can take Marli to the show if she wants to go." Tifa agreed. "I'm sure Marlene would love that." She silently reflected on the time when her and Cloud appeared in the show as the '100th couple.' How Cloud pretended to save her from the Evil Dragon King, how he kissed her
hand, how soft his lips were...
"Tifa, hello? Wake up, back to reality!" Yuffie shouted and clicked her
fingers in front of Tifa's face. "Hey!"
"I'm sorry you guys. Guess I zoned out." "You sure did, you were out for about a minute! Will you ever stop thinking
about Cloud?"
Tifa head was screaming, "How is it that everyone knows? Man this is
annoying. I'm sure one of them has already told him. Have they?" "Right that's it," Yuffie grabbed Tifa's hand and dragged her to the Round
Square. "Your gonna have fun tonight, and leave Cloud outta your mind,
okay?" Tifa just smiled. Cid had already wondered off to Speed Square.
"Two please." The teenager stated to the ticket lady. She snatched them and ran in the cart. Tifa quickly muttered a thank you before being pulled into
the cart.
"God," Yuffie sighed. "If this is what fallin' in love does to ya, I think I'll pass on it." Tifa stared at her for a few seconds then continued to look out of the window. "Aww c'mon Tifa-chan, don't look at me like that. Look, isn't it great? The view, I mean." It certainly was great, the view, I mean. The whole of the Gold Saucer was alive, there wasn't a part of it
that wasn't lit up or wasn't lively. The Chocobos and the racers went zooming past the two of them; both of them felt the air hit their faces.
"Yeah, yeah it is. I'm sorry Yuffie-sama. It's just. I remember coming here with Cloud. Seeing the same sights, going to the same places. I can't help
but think about him, y'know?" "Yeah I know. But you know, it's Christmas Eve, and you should be having fun, like the rest of us. We've still got the rest of the day ahead of us. We'll go and get Nanaki and Vincent, as well as Cait Sith, then we'll stay
somewhere near Costa Del Sol, and we'll go and see Cloud. Okay?"
Tifa hated to admit in her mind, but Yuffie was right. She was going to see
him tomorrow. Why was she complaining?
"Yeah, okay. You're right."
"I know I am. Let's go have some fun then!"
Barret and Marlene were lucky enough to get front row seats for the show.
Marlene absolutely loved fairy tales, especially the endings, where the prince kissed the princess and lived happily ever after. It was always the
same. As the show was drawing to an end, Tifa and Yuffie decided to watch until it was finally over. Tifa watched and replayed 'that night' in her mind.
Flashback
Narration: Long, long ago... An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia... Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon
King, Valvados. What will become of her? Just then, the legendary hero,
Alfred appears!!
Cloud and the Knight appeared on the stage.
Knight: Oh... You must be the legendary hero... Alfred!
Cloud didn't say anything.
Knight: Hey, it's your line.
Cloud points at himself as if to say 'Me?'
Knight: Yeah, you. Ahem! Oh... You must be the legendary hero... Alfred! I know in my soul. Please... please save Princess Rosa! Now... Please talk...
to the King...!!
The King appeared on the stage.
King: Oh... legendary hero, Alfred. You have come to save my beloved Rosa... On the peak of a dangerous mountain... dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados... Who's kidnapped Princess Rosa... But... you can't beat the Evil
Dragon King now! Talk to one who can help you...
The Wizard appeared on the stage. Cloud talks to the Wizard.
Wizard: I am the great wizard, Vorman. What do you wish to know?
Cloud: The Evil Dragon King's weakness.
Wizard: Ahh, the weakness of the Evil Dragon King. It must be, it must be... Yes, it must be... True love! The power of love... Is the only weapon
that can withstand the fangs of the Evil Dragon King...!
Narration: Oh what is going to happen next...! Oh...Legendary hero... look!
The Evil Dragon King appeared with Tifa as the Princess being held by him.
EDK (Evil Dragon King): Gaaaaaaaah! I am the Evil Dragon King... Valvados!
I have not harmed the Princess... I have been expecting... you!
Tifa: Please help me... Legendary hero... Alfred! Psst.... like that?
EDK: Gaaaaaah! Here I come, legendary hero... Alfred! I already know...
your name!
Wizard: And now... Legendary hero...! Here is what will happen... to your
beloved...... A kiss! The power of True Love!!
Cloud kisses Tifa's hand.
Tifa: Cloud... I mean, Alfred.
EDK: Arrggaahhh!! Curses... The power of... love!!
The EDK disappeared.
King: Oh... look! Love has... triumphed! Now let's all return... And
celebrate.
End of Flashback
The whole audience, including Barret and Marlene stood up and cheered for true love's triumph. Yuffie and Tifa walked out of Event Square and found themselves at Battle Square. Tifa punched and kicked without much power, because after one hit, each enemy was dead, and she had 9,999 HP anyway, so
there was no need for curing, really.
The Speed Square was much more fun, though. All there was to see was Yuffie hands in the air, waving around. But apart from that, Tifa was happy with
the ride.
Tifa raced her Gold Chocobo at Chocobo Square and won herself a fair amount of GP. Yuffie and winning did not go together, so she didn't win a single
race.
Both girls hated the Ghost Hotel, and decided it was time to meet up with Cait Sith at Wonder Square. At they jumped out of the whole, they saw that
some people had beaten them to it. Reno and Rude. They wanted their fortunes to be told. Cait Sith did his dance and the girls waited for his
answer.
"Aha," Cait Sith held a card out to each of them.
"What the...? Time is of the essence, your lucky number is 4,000?" Reno wasn't happy with the outcome of his. Rude was no different. "Seek and ye
shall find. Something big will happen next year? Right that's it. I'm gonna..." Before he could speak further, Yuffie and Tifa ran up behind them.
"Not so fast," Yuffie yelled. The little cat jumped on Tifa's shoulder and Yuffie drew her Conformer. "No need, Miss Kisa... um... whatever. We're not staying, so please, put it away." Rude stayed silent, only because Tifa was
stood there, looking as lovely as ever. Reno pulled Rude by his collar.
"C'mon, Rude. We make our leave." They left for Wonder Square.
Cait Sith, who had hid under his HP Shout all that time, finally came out
and sighed. "Thanks, you guys. God I hate them." "No problem, Cait." Yuffie replied. "By the way, could you skip work for a
while? We're gonna go see Cloud for Christmas. Y'know, a reunion kinda
thang?"
"Sounds great! Who's here now?" "Um, well there's me and Tifa-chan here, Cid's here and Marli and Barret
are here somewhere..."
Here conversation was cut short when the three that had just been named
jump out of different holes. "Cait! How'ya been?"
"Not too bad. Jus' nearly got attacked by Reno n' Rude."
"No you did not!" Yuffie shouted. "We were here, so they ran off!"
"Anyway, you comin' with us or not?" Cid blurted out.
"Yeah, I'm ready when you are!" Cait Sith jumped back onto his mog and
jumped down the Station hole.
"Alright, everyone had fun?" Barret asked. Everyone replied in unison,
"Yeah!" "Alright, let's go. We got Vinnie and Red to get!" Yuffie stated and ran to join Cait Sith at the Station. "C'mon Marlene, let's go," Barret picked his
daughter up and jumped down the hole.
Cid was about to jump, when he saw Tifa behind him, looking down at the
floor. "You not had fun?"
Tifa looked up quickly and smiled softly. "Of course I've had fun, it's
just strange seeing old enemies, isn't it?" "Yeah," Cid replied. "An' I heard that Rude guy had a crush on you. Hehehe.
Not your type, huh?" Tifa laughed. "Not really. Come on, the guys will be waiting for us." So Cid jumped down the shoot. Tifa was just about to follow, but she felt like
she was being watched. She turned slightly to find Rude, staring at her from the path to the Wonder Square. She turned back and jumped after Cid.
Rude looked away and continued after Reno.
He wasn't Tifa's type at all. But she knew someone who was...