Tifa's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. She almost called out, but something stopped her. Coming to the church with Marlene now seemed like an incredibly stupid thing to do. Skin prickling all over, Tifa quickly pulled on her gloves. Perhaps she was overreacting, but she felt better with them on.
"Cloud?" Marlene said, turning her head towards the entrance.
"Marlene!" Tifa hissed. "Get over here now!"
But Marlene wasn't listening. Running with the quick clumsyness that small children posess, she ran straight towards the door ready to throw her arms around who she was sure was going to be Cloud. But Tifa saw the flash of black leather and the bulky muscles, and she knew before Marlene did that it most certainly wasn't Cloud.
"Marlene stop!" Tifa shouted, now running after her.
The little girl saw the silver haired man and tried to stop, but skidded slightly before falling backwards on her bottom. Too frightened to cry, she sat and looked up at the intimidating man who smirked down at her.
"It's okay Marlene." Tifa whispered in her ear as she gently lifted her to her feet. "Don't be afraid."
Marlene latched herself around Tifa's waist. Tifa placed her gloved hands firmly on her shoulders. She met the silver haired man's eyes without a single trace of fear evident in her features.
"Who are you?" she asked him, taking in his resemblance to Sephiroth with increasing uneasiness.
The man laughed. "Who am I? My name is Loz if that's what you're asking."
"What are you doing here, Loz?" Tifa asked succintly.
Loz ignored her question, and looked around her, apparently trying to find someone else.
"You..." he said giving her a leering look-over, "are not the one I'm looking for."
Tifa gave him an angry look. "And who is it you're looking for?"
Loz gave another hearty laugh. "Don't worry your pretty little head about that. It's none of your concern."
He took a step towards the two girls, but Tifa stepped back and pulled Marlene with her.
"It is my concern." she said scathingly.
This caused Loz to go off laughing once again. This man is insane. Tifa thought as Marlene squeezed her frightenedly. He must be after Cloud...but why?
Loz's laughter stopped abruptly and he focused once again on Marlene and Tifa.
"Hmm. I suppose you know the man that lives here?" he asked, feigning casualness.
"No one lives here." Tifa lied easily. "We only visit for the flowers."
Loz smirked at her. "You're lying."
Tifa gave him a blank stare.
"Well if you don't know him, I suppose neither of you are any use to me." he smiled at them lazily. "You understand that I can't possibly allow you to live, don't you?"
Tifa pried Marlene's arms off of her and whispered "Hide!" into her ear before giving her a gentle shove. Straigtening up, she watched Marlene out of the corner of her eye until she could no longer see her, and glared at Loz, who dwarfed her by height and size.
"Hmm." he said idly. "I guess you want to die first then?"
He took a step forward but Tifa didn't give him a chance to make the first move. She pulled a flurry of punches into his gut, her body falling easily into the familiar stances. Tifa didn't pause, didn't give him a chance to block or retaliate, but with each hit she grew frusterated with his lack of response or retaliation. Taking a gamble, she spun around and aimed a kick at his face, hoping to render him unconscious, giving her a chance to escape with Marlene.
Loz reacted with lightening speed reflexes. As he grabbed her leg, and spun her around, Tifa realized he had been waiting for her to take such a gamble. With breath-taking strenth, he hurled her towards the wall. Time slowed for Tifa as she hurtled with unbelievable speed towards what would most likely be a bone-shattering collison.
But Tifa heard Marlene cry out her name, and with fierce determinism, twisted her body around so she could catch her feet on loose boards in the wall. Crouched akwardly high on the wall, she lowered her gaze to re-evaluate Loz. None of her blows seemed to have hindered him in any way. And that strength...He had thrown her at least forty feet with one arm. I'm not going to win this fight...Tifa thought resignedly, but without fear. I have to keep him busy until Cloud comes. Together, we could beat him. Loz smirked up at her. Pushing all thoughts out of her mind but the fight, Tifa jumped from the wall and landed gracefully, if a bit painfully, on the flowers. Petals flew around her.
"Giving up?" Loz asked mockingly.
Tifa didn't answer. Focusing all her strength into her fist, she hit him as hard as she could. He slammed into the wall, cement chipped off where he hit. He stood, but Tifa was already coming at him, gaining speed and momentum as she went. Loz backed away quickly but Tifa came up behind him, ricocheting off the walls. She kicked him in the chest and knocked him to the ground. Moving quickly, she smashed her hand against his face, causing his head to grind against the floor as they slid across it. Loz pushed up, but Tifa quickly flipped off him, landing a few feet over and coming to a stop.
The laugher was now gone from Loz's face, replaced with anger.
"You've fought before have you?" he asked coldly.
Tifa pushed her bangs back. "Yes I have."
Feeling slightly weakened from her furious attack, and trying to buy time, Tifa backed up into the flowers. Loz sauntered after her, attaching something metallic onto his fist.
"What's that?" Tifa asked, eyes narrowed.
"I call it Dual Hound." Loz said, his angry gaze never leaving her. "You must be Tifa Lockhart, the martial artist that fought alongside Cloud Strife two years ago."
He laughed humorlessly at the quickly concealed surprise in Tifa's face.
"Oh yes...I know who you are. And I must say...I don't like liars."
Loz stretched his arm towards her, and she quickly took note of the device on his fist. It was metallic and had two spikes jutting forward. Blue energy sizzled and cracked between the spikes.
Before she could do anything, a stream of blue energy was hurtling towards her. It hit directly in her midriff, and she only had a moment to cry out in surprise before agonizing pain overcame her. The pain was alien and strange, nothing like the pain of Sephiroth's sword seven years ago. It felt as though the energy had hit ever inch of her body, not just her midriff. And it wasn't stopping.
After what seemed like ages, the pain ended. She couldn't remember falling down, but she was face down in the flowers. Tifa tried to stand, but she realized with horror that she was unable to move her legs. Using her arms, which seemed to hurt the least out of all her body, she lifted her upper half, panting and wincing from the lingering pain.
But the pain was nothing compared to the horror she saw when she lifted her eyes. Little Marlene was backing away, terrified, from the advancing Loz. She was trying hard to be brave like Tifa, but she couldn't help calling out.
"Cloud!" Marlene whimpered, waiting for him to come and save her and Tifa.
Feeling the first stabs of terror, Tifa used the last of her strength to call out to Marlene, "Run!"
But it was too late. Smiling, Loz grabbed a hold of Marlene and looked down at the defeated Tifa. Almost lovingly, he adjusted the Dual Hound on his fist, and once again, pointed it at Tifa. All Tifa was aware of before her world once again became blinding pain, was Marlene screams, and the bitter taste of defeat. Everything turned dark as the pain overtook her, and she slipped into blackness.