The walk to the wall market had been a quick one. As we climbed the 'golden shiny wire of hope' as Barret had called it I paused for a moment and looked at the destruction beneath me at the place that was once sector 7. The only way to get through it was to simply not think, but it was hard. It was also hard work climbing above the plate to get to Shinra HQ but Cloud, Barret and I were strong and lately I had been training a lot more than usual. Now all three of us were stood in front of the Shinra building looking up at it, a part of me was scared but another part of me was getting a rush out of this. Finally I was going to fight the ones who had brought me so much misery, the people killing the planet. I was going to fight the people who formed SOLDIER and had taken Cloud away. The people under whom Sephiroth had worked. The man whom in one night destroyed my entire life. Something must have happened to him that night to make him go insane... I always wanted to know why. Maybe my answer was in this building. To me this wasn't just about rescuing Aeris, this was about revenge. "I heard about this place before." Barret said, "Every floor above the 60th is special and not easy to get to even for employees." He paused for thought, "Must be where they took Aeris." He said looking down. After another pause he looked up and smiled "The security's pretty light now. Awright, let's go!!" He said in a raised voice and ran towards the door. "Wait a second!" I shouted in shock. "Your not thinking of just going right through the main entrance, are you?" I said. I was worried now. This was Shinra HQ! We couldn't just walk in and say 'Give Aeris back please thank you have a nice day.' "Well what else does it look like!? I'm gonna kick some Shirna butt and..." "That's not going to work!" I said harshly "We've got to find another way..." I said decisively. Barret took a step towards me. "Ain't gonna be no other way! If we keep wastin' time like this, Aeris'll..." "I know that!" I shouted not even wanting to consider the fact that we may be to late. I took a steady step towards him, "But if we get caught here..." Uh what was I doing?! I'm a fighter and I wanted to attack these people... I guess I was just trying to be careful. I really had no idea what to expect. Then a thought struck me, why not let Cloud decide? I turned to him, he had been watching Barret and I fight in silence. "Hey, Cloud... What should we do?" I asked him. He looked surprised at first then thought for a moment. A smile crossed his lips. "Let's bust on in!" He said. I smiled and shook my head and he smiled back. 'This could be fun.' I secretly thought. "That's more like it! C'mon, let's go!!" Barret shouted as he ran ahead. Cloud and I ran after him. "Excuse me!" We all stopped dead at the sound of the receptionist's voice. "If you don't have an appointment, you'll just have to..." But Barret cut her off. "Don't need no appointment.... This is a 'mergency!" He said and I couldn't help but smile. "Anyone who don't wanna get their faces bashed in better git outta the way!!" He said looking around menacingly. Of course there were the foolish guards who tried to fight us. I have to admit it was fun. I love fighting, I was the best in my class back at Nibblehime, my teacher said I had a natural talent... damn I missed him. He wasn't just a teacher he was my mentor and had saved my life on more than one occasion. We carried on fighting, making our way up the floors when finally we got to the 64th floor that appeared to be a gym. We walked into what appeared to be a rest room. There were mattresses on the floor and one man was asleep in the corner. Cloud turned to me, "Do you want to rest?" He asked me. "Just for a moment," I said. I looked at his arm "your bleeding!" I said alarmed. Cloud just smiled. "It's nothing Tifa," he said. I wouldn't hear if it being nothing and got out my cure materia. I took hold of his arm and started casting the spell. He watched me with his bright blue eyes and brought his other hand round putting it on my cheek. I looked up at him then looked back down at the wound blushing. He rubbed my cheek with his thumb as he spoke. "I hope you're not mad at me for deciding to bust in." He said, I smiled without looking up. "No, I think it was better this way." I said, "I was just being careful but there is nothing here we can't handle... your arms better" I looked up at him, he took his hand from my cheek and ran it over the spot where the wound had once been. "Thanks," he said smiling gratefully at me. "Yo! Let's get going," Barret said as he got up from a mattress and made his way to the door. We ran out of the room and made our way to the next floor. If all the battles were like this we will have rescued Aeris and got out of here in no time!

'Caught! I can't believe they got us!' I thought to myself as I lay on the cell bed looking at the gray ceiling. Bloody Turks! Only time they ever decided to do their job right was when we were in the building, and I'm sure one of them kept looking at my ass! What was his name? I think it was Rude, I remembered he used to come with Reno to my bar occasionally. I also had the 'pleasure' of meeting Tseng again who was just as lovely as the last time we met. I looked up at Cloud who was pacing the room deep in his thoughts.

"Psst. Can we get out?" I whispered quietly, afraid the guards would hear us. Cloud stopped and turned to look at me. He stopped in front of me and looked me up and down for a few moments not saying anything then he put his hand on mine, which was resting on my stomach. "Leave it to me" he whispered back looking very confidant. I smiled and felt re assured. There was always a way and I was sure he would find it. He let go of my hand and started pacing the room again. "Psst. Cloud, you're so brave!" I whispered. He blushed and I couldn't believe what I had just said! I sounded like such a lovesick schoolgirl, I could feel myself start to blush. Ummmm the ceiling, concentrate on the ceiling. Everything was silent but I could hear Barret's mumblings, telling me he was in the next room. "Cloud, are you there?" The voice came from the next cell and made both Cloud and I jump in shock. I knew straight away it was Aeris' voice. "Aeris!? You safe?" Cloud asked sounding a mixture of shock and relief. "Yeah, I'm all right." She said. "I knew that Cloud would come for me." She said in a confidant tone. I bit my lip. "Hey, I'm your bodyguard, right?" Cloud said shrugging his shoulders. That hurt me, Cloud was supposed to be my hero... was I being selfish? "The deal was for one date, right?" She said. I sat up shocked, at the same time Cloud turned to look at me but I stared straight at the wall. Date? He was going to go on a date with this girl yet it had never been mentioned to me... I could have sworn at that moment I felt my heard brake.

"............Oh, I get it." I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "...!? Tifa! Tifa, you're there too!" Aeris' voice came out shocked. The little bitch! Was she going to try to seduce the man I loved while pretending to be my friend?! Thank God I had heard this. Perhaps Cloud wasn't even worthy of my love! I could feel tears stinging my eyes but I blinked them all away. I knew Cloud was watching me and I would not let him see me cry over him, not after this. "EXCUSE me." I said my voice furious but then I stopped myself. I was leaving my feelings wide open for everyone to see, I had to be more careful. Why should I flatter Cloud by getting hysterical over him when he was arranging dates with other girls?! Besides who the hell was this girl anyway? She just appeared in our lives claiming to be an Ancient. I stood up my body slightly shaking. "You know, Aeris, I have a question." I said my voice still steady. "What?" Aeris said, from her tone I could tell she was worried. "Does the Promised Land really exist?" I asked. "...I don't know." She said sounding a little relived that was all I asked her. "All I know is..." she continued, "The Cetra were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet, and unlock the Planet. And....... then...... The Cetra will return to the Promised Land. A land that promises supreme happiness." She said. It sounded like a load of rehearsed crap to me. She really hadn't told me anything at all. "...What does that mean?" I asked her, slight irritation in my voice. "More than words...... I don't know." She said. How convenient, I thought to myself. It was clear this girl had no idea about her heritage and it was more likely that Hojo who was not an Ancient himself knew more than her. "...Speak with the Planet?" Cloud asked. Still avoiding looking at him I lay back down on the bed and starred at the ceiling trying to block out any thoughts, it was taking all my effort to hold back my tears. I needed to distract myself. "Just what does the Planet say?" I asked. "It's full of people and noisy. That's why I can't make out what they're saying." Aeris said. Hmmmm it's probably because she's only half Ancient, I thought to myself. "You hear it now?" Cloud asked his voice full of curiosity and I felt the pain in my heart increase. "I, I only heard it at the Church in the Slums. Mother said that Midgar was no longer safe. That is.... my real mother." Aeris answered, her voice was quiet now. "Someday I'll get out of Midgar... Speak with the Planet and find my Promised Land...That's what mom said." Her voice was gradually getting quieter and quieter until I could barely hear her. "I thought I would stop hearing her voice as I grew up, but...." Aeris cut of and silence followed for some time. Cloud broke it. "Let's just get some sleep" He said as he leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor opposite me. I glanced over at him and he was watching me, I turned my head away so I was looking at the wall beside me. I couldn't bear to look at him right now. The lights suddenly began to dim until they were out all together. I guessed the Shinra didn't want to waste money on giving light to our prison cell. ... It was dark now, only now, when no one could see would I allow my tears to fall. I could feel my body shaking as I cried trying hard not to make a noise but I couldn't help it. The tears were coming down to violently and my whole body was shaking like never before. Cloud... how could he... "Tifa," It was Clouds voice, I heard footsteps but I couldn't see a thing. Straight away I started wiping the tears from my cheeks but more fell. I sat up not wanting to talk to him. I had to get away but immediately I felt two hands on my shoulders stopping me from moving. Cloud's eyes must have got used to the dark faster than mine. "Don't get up," he whispered. I stayed silent, I had nothing to say to him. "Tifa? Are you crying?" He asked, his voice was soft but only silence followed. "Are you angry with me?" He eventually asked. "Stupid question," I murmured quietly. "What did you say?" he asked, I could now make out he was bending down so his face was at the same level as mine. I didn't answer him and looked away from him. "Tifa...?" He said, his voice confused and there was a slight hint of desperation. I once again tried to get up but this time he pushed me down so I was lying down on the bed. I put my hands to his chest to push him of me but I felt so weak. He took hold of my hands and pinned them down above my head. Suddenly his face was so close to mine I could feel his breath, he was breathing heavily and when he spoke his voice come out in a whisper but was full of distress. "Don't do this to me Tifa! Don't do this! I need you!" I was so confused, why was he being like this? Why the hell should it matter to him when he had Aeris?! "Tifa say something!" He said almost shouting. "...Why does it matter if you have me or not Cloud? You have Aeris now!" I was also almost shouting and I turned my head away and I could feel the tears pour down my cheeks again. He was silent for some time and all I could feel was his breath on my neck. "I would never have gone on a date with her Tifa, I don't even know her." He finally said. I looked up at him shocked. "But she said..." I started. "I know what she said." Said Cloud "but that doesn't mean it's going to happen." I looked at him hard, did he mean it? "You don't believe me do you?" He said quietly, "I swear to god if she fucks this up..." He paused, I could feel the waight of his hands on mine increase. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Tifa, I saw Jenova before... I swear on my life I did." I looked at him in disbelief. I knew exactly what it meant if Jenova was still alive. "Sephiroth..." I whispered, I shuddered at the name. I felt Cloud's finger on my lip. "Something is going to happen Tifa, and I need you." I felt a teardrop once again fall on my cheek but I was unsure weather it had come from me or Cloud. " Before you said to me, 'Cloud, be strong!' do you remember?" he asked. "Of course I do," I whispered. "I need your words of encouragement, I need your faith in me Tifa... sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going..." He said quietly. "So don't leave me." he whispered. I felt him move his hands from mine to around my waist as he lay the top half of his body on mine and hugged me tighter than he had ever done before, as if he were afraid to let me go. I stayed limp for a few moments as his words slowly sunk in. Then slowly I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. I was crying again but these were not tears of sorrow. After a while he let me go and I could make out he was scratching the back of his head with his hand. He was embarrassed but he didn't need to be. "We have to sleep," he said "I don't know what tomorrow will bring." He said quietly. "Whatever it brings, I will be there for you." I said to him. I felt his lips touch my forehead, my heart fluttered at his touch. I listened to his footsteps as he made his way to where he had been sat before. My eyes closed and despite being locked up in Shinra HQ, I felt safe.