Chapter 3:
Tifa sighed in contentment as the hot water of the showerhead massaged her aching muscles in a plume of billowing steam. She basked in the warm embrace of the water for several moments before reminding herself that she had to open the shop soon. She didn't want to keep her customers waiting, after all.
As the young woman scrubbed away her worries with a bar of soap, she allowed her mind to wander once again to the situation at hand. She was still somewhat shocked by the unlikely turn of events that had already transpired today. She woke up that morning expecting yet another uneventful day at the shop, chatting with customers and selling her potions and equipment, followed by some quality time spent with Marlene and maybe a quick phone call to check up on Cloud and the others.
All too sudden, her expectations of a normal day had been dashed in the span of only an hour. Not one, but two old friends had shown up practically at her doorstep, one of which she had never expected to see again for the rest of her days. Furthermore, that same friend now wanted the young woman to leave her tranquil little life behind in order to become a part of the planet's destiny yet again. The full force of the day's proceedings had yet to impact the former fighter; she had grown so accustomed to normalcy in the past three years that this sudden turn of events threw her routine completely off-balance.
I sure have changed, Tifa reflected as she lathered up her silky hair, Back when I was in AVALANCHE with Barret and the others, I would have given anything for a little variety, a little spontaneity. Now look at me: a worried housewife trying to choose between the adventure of a lifetime and her practical responsibilities, she couldn't help but smile at the thought, Who would've guessed that this is what I would one day turn into?
The thought of becoming domesticated was not altogether displeasing, however; she still held onto the hope that she and Cloud might one day start a family together. Her caring for Marlene acted as good practice for when that time finally did arrive. She had never brought up the subject with Cloud, but she could reasonably assume that he shared similar feelings. She knew that he loved her dearly, and even if the thought of starting a family and having children didn't necessarily appeal to him at the moment, she knew he would come to change his mind in time.
Tifa smiled at the memory of her longtime friend. He had changed so much in the past three years. He was no longer the serious, emotionless, bitter man that had led them to victory over Sephiroth and saved the planet from certain destruction. Ever since the death of his mortal enemy and the return of peace to the world, Cloud had become much more caring, open, compassionate, and pleasant to be around. He ceased being stuck up and moody and instead found it easier to express himself and open up to more people. He became more at ease. He became more friendly.
He became happy.
And after a time, Tifa had simply grown to love the new Cloud as she had secretly loved the old one for so many years. She thought about him every day, and she knew that he also thought of her. Nothing could break the bond they had, not even the traces of resentment that Tifa still harbored for being left out of the Materia hunt.
But perhaps he, too, had grown restless since the adventure he and his friends had embarked upon years ago. Perhaps his unquenchable desire to seek action -- to give every last shred of energy he possessed for the good of the planet and its inhabitants -- was what led him to leave his quiet life behind and go on the journey to collect the planet's Materia. At least, Tifa reflected, that seemed like something Cloud would do based on his past actions.
But Tifa could hardly blame him. They both shared the same adventurous spirit, the same untamable urge to see the world in its entirety -- a strong desire to see and do and interact. A desire that no amount of housekeeping and babysitting could ever extinguish.
Tifa rinsed the last frothy remains of shampoo out of her hair and reached for the knob. She didn't need to wait until tomorrow morning; her mind was made up already.
As the young woman watched the water flow lazily down the drain with detached interest, she became aware of a rhythmic brushing noise coming from a few feet away. Curious, Tifa poked her head out from behind the shower curtain and spotted Yuffie on the other side of the bathroom brushing her teeth without a care in the world.
Feeling slightly bemused -- and agitated -- she asked the younger woman an obvious question, "What are you doing?"
"Bruffing my teef. Why?" the ninja inquired through a mouth full of toothpaste. She glanced at Tifa's wet head in the mirror and continued brushing.
Tifa sighed. When she told Yuffie to 'make herself at home', she should have figured that the cheeky ninja would take the offer literally. The former fighter explained, "Well, make it quick please. I need to get dressed soon," she said as she pulled a towel off a nearby rack and retreated back into the shower curtain.
Tifa couldn't help but smirk as she dried herself off. Yuffie was certainly an interesting character; she seemed so naïve and harmless on the outside, but on the inside, she was wise beyond her years. The young ninja obviously lived in a constant state of secrecy covered up by her childish antics, but to Tifa's knowledge, she had never opened up that side of herself. At least, she hadn't done so to anyone in the group in the time that they had traveled together to defeat Sephiroth. Indeed, Yuffie was certainly one of a kind.
And yet, Tifa felt that of all the people that Yuffie had encountered in her journeys, she trusted the former fighter the most. She found that thought to be somewhat gratifying.
Just then, a thought occurred to Tifa as she toweled off her hair. The young woman poked her head out of the shower curtain once more and demanded, "Are you using MY toothbrush?!"
Yuffie shrugged, "It wath the ongly wung here," she said innocently, "and I di'n't bwing mine fhrom home."
Tifa just sighed in resignation and continued to dry herself off. Yes, Yuffie was certainly one of a kind, and Tifa was beginning to find that fact increasingly comforting.
After the ninja had rinsed her mouth out and put her hostess' toothbrush back in its proper place, the effervescent young woman strolled out of the bathroom as she reported to the figure on the other side of the shower curtain, "Thanks Tiff. Can't remember the last time I got to clean my teeth. I'll stand guard by the door so nobody'll disturb you while you get dressed. Not a soul will get by me; not a soul, I say!"
And with a dramatic flourish, the young ninja pranced out of the room and shut the door loudly behind her. Tifa just rolled her eyes. What was she getting herself into?
After she had gotten dressed in her regular attire and applied a few quick strokes of makeup, Tifa opened the door to her room to see Yuffie pacing in a soldier-esque fashion in the hallway. Upon spotting her companion, the ninja saluted, grinned, and dashed down the stairs. Amused, Tifa made her own way down the stairs, checking her watch as she did so. Despite all of the interruptions, it looked like she would make it to the shop just in time.
As the young woman passed by the living room, she had to stifle a giggle as she spotted Reeve sprawled out on the floor, hands extended out in front of him, while Marlene applied several different colors of fingernail polish to the tip of the young man's fingers. The girl chattered to Reeve as she applied a thick coat of glittery purple to her new friend's left ring finger, "....and then everyone will see what pretty nails you have, and they'll ask you who did them, and you'll say it was me, and then everyone will want me to paint their nails as beautiful as I did to yours....."
As Tifa lingered in the doorway on her way out, Reeve shot her a desperate glance. Tifa just smiled and said, "Well, it looks like you two are hitting it off nicely."
"Yes, I suppose you could say that," Reeve commented dryly as he looked at his nails and tried to mask his horror.
Marlene turned to her guardian, "Do you see Mr. Reeve's nails, Auntie Tifa? Aren't they beautiful?"
"Yes, they look lovely, sweetie," Tifa said fondly, "When you're finished, just make sure you do his toenails too."
Reeve's face drained of all color as Marlene, oblivious to her guinea pig's plight, answered, "Ooooh, I almost forgot about that. Thanks, Auntie Tifa!" And with that, the energetic little girl ran over to Reeve's feet and began to tug on his shoe.
Tifa smiled in pure amusement as she turned and walked towards the front door while Reeve, fingernails still wet, tried to stop Marlene from pulling off his expensive dress shoes without actually touching her. The young woman grabbed her purse, opened up the front door, and called behind her, "Bye everyone. I'll be back later tonight!"
"Bye Auntie Tifa!" an excited Marlene called after her while Reeve sputtered in the background.
"Oh.....um.....Tifa, I don't think.....well.....actually, I was beginning to reconsider.....oh, hey, wait. Marlene, dearie, please don't.....ah, be careful with that nail polish now.....oh dear God. Tifa!" he pleaded as Tifa closed the door behind her.
With her head held high, the young woman walked down the sidewalk in a surprisingly good mood. Knowing that this would probably be the last time she took this walk to her shop in a while, she breathed deep and enjoyed the experience.
Yes, she had made up her mind. She was going to do the right thing. She was going to listen to what her heart told her and embrace her adventurous spirit.
She was going to accept Yuffie's offer and help her hunt down the rest of the Materia.
After all, did she ever really have a choice? Either she was going to embrace her nature or deny it; the choice was as simple as that. She had been denying it for close to three years now; why deny it any longer? It was time she became reacquainted with the adventurous youth she had been when she aided Cloud and the others in the battle against Sephiroth -- a side of her that had remained dormant for far too long.
And for the first time in quite a while, Tifa found simple pleasure in just watching the sky and the clouds as she walked. Nothing was going to spoil her day now.
Not even the fact that she had to buy a new toothbrush.