"Marlene!" Barret screamed. I watched him bang his fists against the rubble
blocking the way into sector 7.
"Hey Barret" Cloud said softly.
"Barret" I said. I could feel tears streaming down my face. I felt numb and confused, like I was in some sort of dream.
"ARGGHHH!!" Barret started to scream. Fear filled me I had never seen him like this before. Cloud and I ran up to him.
"Hey!" Cloud said. It was obvious he had about as much of an idea of what to do as I did.
"Barret, stop... please stop, Barret." I said gently. I knew him doing this was not going to help but he had other ideas.
"URGHHH!!!" He screamed. I watched in horror as he started to shoot the rubble. "God damn..." He shouted. I wanted to stop him but I felt Clouds hands rest on my shoulders, I turned around to face him as he took my hand and started to gently pull me away from Barret.
"I know you want to help him Tifa, but we can't do anything for him right now, just let him get it all out." He said. I nodded weakly and let Cloud lead me to the middle of the playground. We both sat down as I covered my face with my hands and cried. I could feel my body shaking. This was all so much to take in. EVERYONE was gone.... maybe I'm cursed. Cloud put his arm around me and pulled me in close. I cried harder and he wrapped both his arms around me and held me tight. I did the same...
... we stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other, not saying anything. I finally looked up at him. He was staring off into the distance with a serious look on his face.
"Cloud?" I said quietly. He looked down at me, his gaze softening when meeting mine.
"Yes?" He said as he brought his hand up to my cheek and wiped a tear away.
"What are we going to do?" I asked. "What's going to happen now?"
"Don't worry about that right now." Cloud said, "We have been through a lot today." We both turned around at the sound of footsteps behind us. Barret came and sat down with us. I watched him cover his face with his hand. I had never seen him like this. Barret had always been so strong.
"Marlene..." I heard him whisper. So many things had been going through my mind, this was all too much to take on but one thing stuck harder than anything else, Aeris' last words to me. I had been replaying them in my mind...
"Tifa, don't worry! She's all right!" Could she have meant... or was I hoping?
"... Barret...? Marlene is... I think Marlene is safe." I said. Barret lifted his head.
"Huh?" I started to explain.
"Right before they took Aeris she said 'She's all right', she was probably talking about Marlene." Barret actually half smiled. I, on the other hand, could not be happy. Not with what was on my mind. I tried to explain.
"But..." I started but Barret seemed to read my mind.
"Biggs, Wedge, Jessie..." He said.
"All three of them were in the pillar." Cloud continued.
"Think I don't know that?" Barret said with anger returning to his voice. "But... we. all of us fought together. I don't wanna think of them as dead."
"... and all the other people in sector 7." I said.
"This is all screwed up!" Barret said. Funny that's just what I was thinking.
"They destroyed an entire village just to get to us! They killed so many people..." Barret's words echoed my thoughts. I felt the tears start to fall down my cheeks again... what had we done?
"... Are you saying it's our fault?" I said between sobs. "Because Avalanche was here? Innocent people lost their lives because of us?" That was what I felt. What other explanation was there? If we had done nothing then none of this would have happened. Not for the first time in my life I started to wish Sephiroth had killed me.
"No, Tifa!" I looked up at Barret surprised. " That ain't it! Hell no!!" It ain't us! It's that damn Shinra! It's never been nobody but the Shinra! They're evil and destroyin our planet just to... build their power and line their own damn pockets with gold! If we don't get rid of them, they're gonna kill the planet! Our fight ain't never gonna be over until we get rid of them!" What he said made sense, but I couldn't help it. Yes they were the ones who dropped the plate... but if we had never been there.
"... I don't know." I said shaking my head.
"What don't you know?!" Barret asked. "You don't believe me?" I looked up at Barret, his eyes were pleading with me. He needed me right now... but I couldn't lie.
"It's not that." I tried to explain. " I'm not sure about... me. My feelings." Barret sighed and turned to look at Cloud who had by now stood up. He was standing with his back to us, his arms crossed. Something was bothering him.
"An what about you?" Barret asked.
"..." Cloud didn't say anything and started to walk away.
"Yo! Where's he think he's goin?" I thought. Then it hit me.
"Oh! Aeris!" I had forgotten, with everything going on, we needed to help her. She had helped with the Don, Cloud and I owed her. Barret interrupted my thoughts.
"Oh yeah, that girl. What's up with her?" Good question. She had seemed strange to me but how was she mixed up in Shinra?
"... I don't really know... But she's the one I left Marlene with." I said.
"Damn! Marlene!" Barret shouted. He turned to look at me his face serious.
"Tifa, there ain't no turnin' back now." His words were harsh but true. I was right in the middle of this, there was no way I could just walk away now. I watched him run after Cloud. I got up and started to follow, but I stopped. I looked back at where sector 7 used to be. I was scared, very scared. My life was about to change in a big way, and I knew it. I blinked back tears and ran after them my heart beating fast.
By the time I caught them up Barret had caught up with Cloud.
"Cloud take me to Marlene!" It sounded more like an order than a request and Cloud would be foolish to say no. I approached Cloud and put my hand on his arm.
"You're going to help Aeris?" I asked. Cloud put his hand on mine and held it tight.
"Yeah..." He said. "But before that, there's something I want to know."
"What's that?" I asked.
"... It's about the Ancients. Sephiroth...?" That name made me shudder. I watched in horror as Cloud fell to the floor clutching his head.
"Are you all right?" I asked panicking.
"Pull it together, man!" Barret said harshly. I could tell he badly wanted to see Marlene and the physical condition of Cloud was of no importance to him right now.
Cloud slowly stood up. I took hold of his arm to steady him. He looked at me, my face must have told him I was worried.
"I'm okay." He said. "Don't worry." I shook my head, how could I not worry. "Marlene will probably be at Aeris' house. We can go check there." He said.
We made our way in silence. Every time we passed a monster or thief we easily killed them. Cloud kept hold of my hand but kept his eyes fixed ahead. Barret walked beside me occasionally telling us to hurry.
We moved fast, and eventually, Cloud led us down a side street. As I stood in front of the house I gasped.
"Aeris lives here?" I asked. "No one in the slums lives in a place half as good as this... how can she afford it?" I asked looking up at Cloud. He just shook his head.
"I don't know... she sells flowers." He said as if trying to convince himself.
"Flowers?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "Is that a euphemism?"
"No.... they are a gill each." He said still sounding very unsure.
"Must sell a hell of a lot of flowers then." murmured Barret. "Business must be big, we all know how people of the slums love... flowers."
"Come on, lets go in" I said quickly, wanting to change the subject. Whatever dirty things this girl did in her spare time was nothing to do with me. "Will anyone be in?" I asked.
"Yes... her mother should be there." said Cloud. Still holding my hand with his right hand he brought up his left hand and knocked on the door.
"Hey Barret" Cloud said softly.
"Barret" I said. I could feel tears streaming down my face. I felt numb and confused, like I was in some sort of dream.
"ARGGHHH!!" Barret started to scream. Fear filled me I had never seen him like this before. Cloud and I ran up to him.
"Hey!" Cloud said. It was obvious he had about as much of an idea of what to do as I did.
"Barret, stop... please stop, Barret." I said gently. I knew him doing this was not going to help but he had other ideas.
"URGHHH!!!" He screamed. I watched in horror as he started to shoot the rubble. "God damn..." He shouted. I wanted to stop him but I felt Clouds hands rest on my shoulders, I turned around to face him as he took my hand and started to gently pull me away from Barret.
"I know you want to help him Tifa, but we can't do anything for him right now, just let him get it all out." He said. I nodded weakly and let Cloud lead me to the middle of the playground. We both sat down as I covered my face with my hands and cried. I could feel my body shaking. This was all so much to take in. EVERYONE was gone.... maybe I'm cursed. Cloud put his arm around me and pulled me in close. I cried harder and he wrapped both his arms around me and held me tight. I did the same...
... we stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other, not saying anything. I finally looked up at him. He was staring off into the distance with a serious look on his face.
"Cloud?" I said quietly. He looked down at me, his gaze softening when meeting mine.
"Yes?" He said as he brought his hand up to my cheek and wiped a tear away.
"What are we going to do?" I asked. "What's going to happen now?"
"Don't worry about that right now." Cloud said, "We have been through a lot today." We both turned around at the sound of footsteps behind us. Barret came and sat down with us. I watched him cover his face with his hand. I had never seen him like this. Barret had always been so strong.
"Marlene..." I heard him whisper. So many things had been going through my mind, this was all too much to take on but one thing stuck harder than anything else, Aeris' last words to me. I had been replaying them in my mind...
"Tifa, don't worry! She's all right!" Could she have meant... or was I hoping?
"... Barret...? Marlene is... I think Marlene is safe." I said. Barret lifted his head.
"Huh?" I started to explain.
"Right before they took Aeris she said 'She's all right', she was probably talking about Marlene." Barret actually half smiled. I, on the other hand, could not be happy. Not with what was on my mind. I tried to explain.
"But..." I started but Barret seemed to read my mind.
"Biggs, Wedge, Jessie..." He said.
"All three of them were in the pillar." Cloud continued.
"Think I don't know that?" Barret said with anger returning to his voice. "But... we. all of us fought together. I don't wanna think of them as dead."
"... and all the other people in sector 7." I said.
"This is all screwed up!" Barret said. Funny that's just what I was thinking.
"They destroyed an entire village just to get to us! They killed so many people..." Barret's words echoed my thoughts. I felt the tears start to fall down my cheeks again... what had we done?
"... Are you saying it's our fault?" I said between sobs. "Because Avalanche was here? Innocent people lost their lives because of us?" That was what I felt. What other explanation was there? If we had done nothing then none of this would have happened. Not for the first time in my life I started to wish Sephiroth had killed me.
"No, Tifa!" I looked up at Barret surprised. " That ain't it! Hell no!!" It ain't us! It's that damn Shinra! It's never been nobody but the Shinra! They're evil and destroyin our planet just to... build their power and line their own damn pockets with gold! If we don't get rid of them, they're gonna kill the planet! Our fight ain't never gonna be over until we get rid of them!" What he said made sense, but I couldn't help it. Yes they were the ones who dropped the plate... but if we had never been there.
"... I don't know." I said shaking my head.
"What don't you know?!" Barret asked. "You don't believe me?" I looked up at Barret, his eyes were pleading with me. He needed me right now... but I couldn't lie.
"It's not that." I tried to explain. " I'm not sure about... me. My feelings." Barret sighed and turned to look at Cloud who had by now stood up. He was standing with his back to us, his arms crossed. Something was bothering him.
"An what about you?" Barret asked.
"..." Cloud didn't say anything and started to walk away.
"Yo! Where's he think he's goin?" I thought. Then it hit me.
"Oh! Aeris!" I had forgotten, with everything going on, we needed to help her. She had helped with the Don, Cloud and I owed her. Barret interrupted my thoughts.
"Oh yeah, that girl. What's up with her?" Good question. She had seemed strange to me but how was she mixed up in Shinra?
"... I don't really know... But she's the one I left Marlene with." I said.
"Damn! Marlene!" Barret shouted. He turned to look at me his face serious.
"Tifa, there ain't no turnin' back now." His words were harsh but true. I was right in the middle of this, there was no way I could just walk away now. I watched him run after Cloud. I got up and started to follow, but I stopped. I looked back at where sector 7 used to be. I was scared, very scared. My life was about to change in a big way, and I knew it. I blinked back tears and ran after them my heart beating fast.
By the time I caught them up Barret had caught up with Cloud.
"Cloud take me to Marlene!" It sounded more like an order than a request and Cloud would be foolish to say no. I approached Cloud and put my hand on his arm.
"You're going to help Aeris?" I asked. Cloud put his hand on mine and held it tight.
"Yeah..." He said. "But before that, there's something I want to know."
"What's that?" I asked.
"... It's about the Ancients. Sephiroth...?" That name made me shudder. I watched in horror as Cloud fell to the floor clutching his head.
"Are you all right?" I asked panicking.
"Pull it together, man!" Barret said harshly. I could tell he badly wanted to see Marlene and the physical condition of Cloud was of no importance to him right now.
Cloud slowly stood up. I took hold of his arm to steady him. He looked at me, my face must have told him I was worried.
"I'm okay." He said. "Don't worry." I shook my head, how could I not worry. "Marlene will probably be at Aeris' house. We can go check there." He said.
We made our way in silence. Every time we passed a monster or thief we easily killed them. Cloud kept hold of my hand but kept his eyes fixed ahead. Barret walked beside me occasionally telling us to hurry.
We moved fast, and eventually, Cloud led us down a side street. As I stood in front of the house I gasped.
"Aeris lives here?" I asked. "No one in the slums lives in a place half as good as this... how can she afford it?" I asked looking up at Cloud. He just shook his head.
"I don't know... she sells flowers." He said as if trying to convince himself.
"Flowers?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "Is that a euphemism?"
"No.... they are a gill each." He said still sounding very unsure.
"Must sell a hell of a lot of flowers then." murmured Barret. "Business must be big, we all know how people of the slums love... flowers."
"Come on, lets go in" I said quickly, wanting to change the subject. Whatever dirty things this girl did in her spare time was nothing to do with me. "Will anyone be in?" I asked.
"Yes... her mother should be there." said Cloud. Still holding my hand with his right hand he brought up his left hand and knocked on the door.