"I don't like this" I whispered to Barret as I straightened my soldiers uniform. I looked down at myself, I hated the way I looked dressed like this. This uniform disgusted me... I blamed the owners of this uniform for everything.
"It's ok Tifa, blue suits you" Yuffie laughed as she tucked my hair in from the back making me smile.
"Shhhh! You wanna get us caught?!" Barret hissed. Yuffie responded by sticking her tongue out at him before turning to help Red.
"I don't like this any more than you Tifa but it's the only way we get gettin on this boat without getting caught." he said regretfully. I tugged on one of my sleeves a little. The uniform was far to big for me and smelt funny.
"Can't was just kill them all?" I mumbled annoyed.
"Haha and this was the girl tellin me not to bust into the Shinra building?!" Barret said as he slapped my back. "Right everyone are we all ready?" He said looking round at everyone. "Hmmm ok I guess you all pass for soldiers... er Red... try to um stay hidden." He said. Red groaned a little.
"This is so humiliating!" He mumbled.
"It's ok," I said kneeling beside him, "I hate dressing like this too... I hate soldier I was even in Avalanche." I said with a smile.
"YOU were in Avalanche???" Red said surprised. "Haha I heard that name spoken of with such contempt when I was living back in the lab. Oh this makes so much sense now... Barret was 'the tough leader with the gun arm' and you were 'the hot girl that could beat men up!'" He said with a laugh.
"Haha they used to say that about us?! No way!" I said laughing.
"Alright enough chit chat lets go!" Barret said. "Spread out and try to blend in." he ordered. I looked up at Barret to see him now dressed in a Sailors uniform. I bit my lip hard trying not to laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Yuffie laughed and laughed pointing at Barret. He glared at her,
"It's all there was left! Now MOVE!" He shouted.
I walked out onto the ship, the place was crawling with soldiers and sailors. It suddenly occurred to me... were there any female soldiers?! I suddenly became very nervous and pulled my helmet down a little more. I hadn't ever seen any female soldiers ever... or heard of any.... oh crap! Ok ok not a problem just um think like a man... don't wiggle your ass so much... don't look at anyone... or no wait is it better if I look and act all intimidating... but then I might get into a fight and that would be bad and oh crap!
"Alright mate." A soldier said to me, I looked at his face he had his helmet of and I instantly recognized him! He was the guy that blew the whistle on me when we were in the Shinra building! I looked down quickly.
"Uh... yeah I'm um good." I said in the most manly voice I could muster.
"The general was going on about how we have to stay alert in case that Avalanche scum show their faces." He said
"Oh uh yeah." I mumbled desperately wanting to get away.
"But ya know they so won't dare especially not after last time we chased them right out of Shinra HQ." he said and he laughed. I clenched my fists. 'Stay calm don't hit him don't hit him don't hit hi...'
"Oh and ya know I came face to face with the legendary Tifa Lockheart!" He said with a grin "Ya know the one with the big..."
"I know!" I cut in quickly. By this time my nails were digging into the palms of my hands.
"Yeah well I had her begging for mercy ya know and she even offered herself to me if I didn't kill her! I was gonna have her on the floor of Shinra HQ but then the other soldiers came and she ran away! Haha!" He said as he nudged me. I took a deep breath.
"Oh... right... coz um, I heard she kicked your ass... and the other soldiers found you crying on the floor. Thats what everyone is saying... anyway I gotta go, see ya... wimpy!" And with a satisfied grin I turned and walked of but I still heard the scream of
"THEY ARE SAYING WHAT?!" behind me.
I moved quickly doing my best to get lost in the big crowd of people. 'Thats it Tifa just don't talk to anyone else!'
"Oi you slacker!" An angry voice shouted and I felt someone push me hard."
"Ow! I er mean um yes sir!" I said standing up straight.
"Where are you supposed to be?! I saw you wandering round like this is some sort of holiday!" He said as he circled me and looked me up and down.
"I... um... er... um..."
"Oh that is enough soldier! What are you a woman?!" He shouted and with that he shoved a telescope into my hands. "You can be look out for today." He pointed to a raised platform, "You climb up there and sound the alarm if you see any non Shinra ship, if that isn't to difficult for the little girl?!" He shouted.
"No sir." I mumbled as I climbed up to the platform. God I wanted to get rid of every last one of them! I got on top of the platform and looked around me. 'Hmmm perfect I can see everything from here.' I thought to myself. Suddenly I felt a jolt and the boat started moving. 'I hope Cloud got on ok...'
"Hey handsome!" I turned to see a sailor stood behind me. I wasn't sure what to do at first.
"Uh er you mean me?" I said in my rather un convincing male voice.
"Yeah you sweetie I watched you come up here and I know a man who walks like that can't be straight!" he said as he slapped my ass. My eyes widened and I quickly tried to move away form him.
"I er have to go um over here now..." I mumbled looking as far down as I could.
"hehe a shy one are you? I find that so cute whats your name?" he said with a grin. 'A name? Shit... I need a name... a boys name.... a name that isn't Tifa...' I thought panicking.
"Er my name is um... Cloud." I said quickly.
"aaawww what a sweet name," he said with a grin.
"Um yes but I'm er taken... sorry." I mumbled desperately trying to get rid of him.
"ooohhhh sorry love I didn't realise, well if you change your mind I'll be around this ship somewhere." he said with a wink and with that he left me. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on the rail. Thank god that was over if he had got any closer he would have realised I was a girl for sure! Just as I was starting to relax and enjoy watching the sea a shadow fell over me and I heard a cough. I froze worried that it was that horrible officer again, I slowly turned around to see a soldier stood behind me his arms folded. I quickly stood straight.
"Yes sir! Everything quiet, sir!" I said, to my surprise the other soldier laughed. I looked into his eyes and couldn't believe I hadn't realised who it was. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I just wanted to touch him so much but knew I couldn't. I leaned in a little and whispered.
"...But, you know what? I really hate this uniform. Uniforms, soldiers, war. I hate 'em all." I said looking into his eyes. "They take away the things and people you love..." I said but suddenly wished I hadn't. One of the main reasons I hated soldier was because they had taken my Cloud away... the one I loved. Cloud's eyes widened and I looked down blushing. 'Fuck! Quickly change the subject... he can't know... he can't know how I feel he might reject me.' I thought to myself. "I wish they'd all disappear. Right, Cloud?" I said quickly. Cloud was silent for a moment and just kept looking at me as if he were reflecting on what I had just said.
"Yeah....." he finally said and put his hand on my shoulder.
"You're right!" I said with a smile, I was so glad he agreed and didn't want to go back to his old life. "Uh, yes sir, I'll continue my watch sir! Hee hee...." I giggled and he smiled at me and gave me a nod before climbing down from my little platform. I let out a small sigh. 'Yes I do love you and I'm so gonna tell you one day...' I thought to myself as I leaned on the rail and watched him wander round the ship.
"Tifa?" A voice whispered quietly. I turned to see Yuffie stood behind me. "Tifa I really don't feel so good." She said holding onto her stomach.
"You get motion sickness?" I asked as I put my hand on her shoulder to steady her a little.
"mmmhmmm" She said as she keeled over a little.
"Um it's ok I er have a um potion if that will help." I said as I got it out of my items bag.
"Uh I'll try anything!" She said as she lifted her helmet a little and drank it down.
"You poor thing," I said, "Look sit down and relax and hopefully it will pass." I said to her. Yuffie took my advice and sat down quickly. I once again leaned over the rail trying to spot Cloud or Barret but I couldn't see them... I suddenly started to worry, what if they had been caught? As if to aid my fears a siren suddenly sounded.
"Emergency alert! Reports of a suspicious character found! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found!" The voice announced.
"Shit!" I exclaimed turning to Yuffie.
"I repeat. Suspicious character found on board! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found!" He said. I quickly started to pull Yuffie to her feet.
"We have to find the others they might be in trouble." I said as I watched all the soldiers scatter.
Yuffie and I made our way to the main deck where to my relief we were joined by cloud and the others.
"Everyone all right!?" I asked
"You all right!?" Barret asked at the same time as me. I smiled at him, we both had that leader instinct that made you want to check the team was all safe before anything.
"Huh?" Was Aeris' response. I sighed and looked around me.
"Everyone's here... right?" I asked as I silently did a head count.
"Hey, wait. You don't think that suspicious character is....Sephiroth!?" Barret asked. I froze, Sephiroth here on the ship... were there was no escape?!
"Really!?" I asked nervously.
"How the hell am I supposed to know!?" Barret answered. I was slightly relieved Barret didn't know... as much as I wanted my revenge I didn't want to face him either... not after last time.
"....Let's find out." Cloud murmured. I looked away, non of this felt right, everything was so still there was no one on the deck anymore and even the water under the boat seemed to have stopped.
"It's the most logical thing to do. Then, who's going to go?" Red asked.
Cloud looked at Barret and I.
"Are you two ok to come with me?" He asked.
"Hell yeah!" Barret said with a grin. I just nodded, I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic.
".....Sephiroth......." Cloud mumbled to himself and his eyes clouded over a little. Cloud seemed to have changed with the atmosphere, he had gone very cold. "........All right, let's go!" He said suddenly and he started moving towards the engine room. Barret and I followed, I couldn't understand why but I really didn't want to enter the engine room.
I shivered when we walked through the door, it was as if the room was colder than it was outside, and there it was again, the all to familiar smell of blood. I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of the bodies all over the floor. My breathing got much heavier and for some reason I was really scared as if the sight of dead bodies was new to me. Suddenly one of the men raised his head, there was blood flowing from his chest and the image of my own blood stained shirt all those years back flashed before my eyes.
"....the Engine Room... a suspicious..... character..." he murmured. Suddenly he started to shout "No... there's no way.... that...... not a human..... That thing's not human....." he yelled before he lay his head back down and closed his eyes.
"Cloud..." I whispered. He turned to look at me.
"We have to hurry Tifa he might get away!" He said as he took my hand and started leading me down the stairs. I bit my lip to stop my own protests. Something was wrong... I didn't want to go into the engine room.... I didn't want to see him... he was in there... I knew he was... I could feel it.
Cloud and Barret pushed the doors open very slowly. We could see a figure stood at the far end of the room with his back to us. Something was very wrong.
"Is it........ Sephiroth?" Cloud asked as we approached him. The figure turned around slowly there was blood dripping front the exact same place where I had been struck. I covered my mouth with my hand and gasped a little as he fell to the floor.
"No... not Sephiroth!" Cloud said almost sounding disappointed.
"........After a long sleep..." A voice whispered. I knew the voice straight away. Barret and Cloud started to look around the room for the source of the voice but I couldn't take my eyes of the spot where the man had fallen. There was something about that spot in the room...
"...the time..." he whispered, "...time has....... come....." suddenly the body started to disappear before my eyes, I gasped but it was a few seconds before I could speak.
"Look, Cloud!!" I said pointing at the spot where the man had fallen. What I saw next I could not believe. The figure of Sephiroth arose from the floor like a ghost. At first I thought he was a ghost but his figure was solid, his green eyes shining, his masemunae by his side.
"Sephiroth! You're alive!" Cloud shouted.
"........Who are you?" Sephiroth said looking Cloud up and down. I closed my eyes trying to make it all go away. If Sephiroth didn't remember Cloud then maybe they had never met....maybe my memory was right... but Cloud had saved me...
"You don't remember me!? I'm Cloud!" Cloud shouted. I opened my eyes to see Sephiroth look down.
"Cloud..." He whispered the name as if trying to remember.
"Sephiroth! What are you thinking!? What are you doing!?" Cloud asked, there was desperation in his voice.
"...the time..... is now......" Sephiroth said as he straightened his body.
"What are you saying!?" Cloud shouted. "Be more..." but before he finish Sephiroth rose of the ground and crashed into us all. Pain filled my body as I crashed onto the floor. I got up as quickly as I could clutching my aching ribs knowing there would be more to come. I was greeted by the lovely sight of a monster of some sorts. Suddenly a green mist passed over me and my pain stopped, I turned to see Cloud behind me clutching the cure materia.
"He wont get away with hurting you again." Cloud said to me as he took his fighting stance. I quickly took mine and we fought the monster.
It took a lot of strength but we won and as the monster vanished a tentacle of some sorts was left behind.
We were all silent as we gathered around it and Cloud bent over to get a better look. I had recognized the monster...
"Jenova..." I whispered "He's been carrying this thing around."
"Mother, I'm here to see you. Please, open this door."
His words from the past flashed thought my mind... Jenova had been there behind the doors when he had struck me.
"...Jenova. The arm of Jenova." Cloud mumbled. "So it WAS Sephiroth." He said, he still didn't seem able to believe it.
"He said the time is now." Barret said.
"...Time... is now?" Cloud asked, he was clearly shaken. We were all quiet for some time contemplating on what had just happened. My first meeting with Sephiroth since that awful night... he hadn't even looked at me... he didn't recognize Cloud... was Cloud there or not? I looked over at Cloud who was absorbed in his own thoughts.
"I'm getting so... confused." I whispered. Cloud and Barret both looked at me. "Cloud, explain whats happened so far." I said looking directly at him .
"I'll try, but don't interrupt me while I"m explaining." he said as he stepped away form us. "Sephiroth went off searching for the Promised Land, so he could become the ruler of the planet... That was 5 years ago. Then Sephiroth came back and killed President Shinra. And then just now all of us saw Sephiroth. He was carrying Jenova with him." he paused for a moment. "...This much I do know. He told me he wants to go to the Promised Land with his mother, Jenova. ....I guess that's about it." he said looking at me apologetically. Suddenly we heard the same voice that had come with the siren earlier causing us all to jump.
"Dock workers-- We will be docking in Costa del Sol in 5 minutes. Prepare for docking." It announced.
"We should hide somewhere again." I said as I made my way to the door. All I wanted to do was get away from the room and as far away from any memories of Sephiroth as soon as I could.
Without turning back once I made my way to the cargo hold and opened a large crate. It was full of uniforms.
"Ha at least I'll be comfortable!" I mumbled to myself as I jumped in. Suddenly I felt someone jump in with me. I turned to see Cloud beside me, the crate was just big enough for both of us.
"Wanting to keep one of the best hiding places for yourself eh?" He asked with a grin as he pulled the lid over us so there was only a crack of light shining through.
"No, I just needed to think..." I said quietly.
"I'm sorry Tifa..." he whispered as he touched my cheek with his right hand, "I let him hurt you again and I promised I wouldn't ... I'm sorry." he said. I brought my face closer to his and touched his cheek with my hand.
"It's ok Cloud... you weren't to know... and look I'm ok." I said smiling at him. He rested his forehead against mine and stroked my cheek gently with his thumb.
"I should have listened to you... I shouldn't have made you come... Tifa I know I get a little carried away when it comes to finding Sephiroth...I just have so many questions I need answers to.
"I know..." I said as I stroked his hand.
"But don't ever let me put you in a situation where you don't feel safe just so I can find my answers... you mean so much more to me than any..." suddenly the boat stopped with a jolt and Cloud was thrown on top of me. "Shit you ok??" He asked. Before I could reply I heard footsteps.
"shhh" I whispered as I put my finger on his lip.
"Is there much cargo?" Grunted a voice.
"Nah not that much, hey help me get this box upstairs. We will probably need more help with the bigger ones." The second voice said. I listened carefully and could hear the men lift the box and grunting as they slowly carried it up the stairs. Cloud sighed and lay down on top of me properly, resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled and started playing with his hair, for the first time that trip I was enjoying myself.
"You sleepy?" I whispered.
"Yeah... we will find an inn when we get into town... that is if we ever get of this damn boat! He said.
"You want to move?" I asked quietly.
"Nope I'm pretty comfortable where I am..." Cloud said with a yawn as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
"mmm me too..." I said as I closed my eyes... 'I could stay like this forever...' I whispered inside.