Disclaimer: Don't own ff7.

Sorry this took so long. I suck at fight scenes. Hope you don't get too confused...

Winner's Corner

Seconds after the combat began, the cancer sticks were taking its toll on its victim, yet Cid had already accomplished in damaging Dom's left back thigh. Smirking at each other from opposite ends of the stadium, both fighters were gasping for breath, either from a lifetime of smoking or wounds bleeding incredulously.

Again they were at it; Dom lifted the hammer above his head, hoping for a good hit. However, Cid clutched his opponent's wrist, stopping the man from bashing his head in. In the clumsy mist, the Materias had popped out and littered the ground.

The mallet had been tossed aside yet it was a fruitless try in disarming Dominic. In mere seconds his hand gripped the smashing utensil with assistance of his magnetic gloves. Dom smiled sadistically as he kneeled down to the floor, glittering orbs were gently rolling by him. In the spearman hands was also a Materia; a summoning Materia of his own. Both original weapons lay aside; the two savages attacked each other a barbaric manner. Too bad Dom was much larger than his contender. In mere moments, he had caught Cid in a bright show of thunder and electricity.

A collected gasp of horror emitted from AVALANCHE as volts and watts of voltage was coursing through their companion. Once the shock had ended, he staggered back clumsily.

Instead of using a deadly blow, the tournament's so-far champion brought his fist back and struck the still dazed warrior. Landing on his back, the Highwind captain was still moving, trying his best to stand even through his blurry vision. A sharp kick slammed into his ribs, yet, his will to win was persistent; another attempt to get up resulted in another blow to his bruised chest.

Every time Cid's hand would try to push him off the rock ground, Dom would come in with another vicious hit. His spouse let out a gasp with every strike. "Stop it! Stop it! He forfeits!"

Unable to even speak in objection, Cid could only let his opponent shove him to the side. Tension was growing thick around the remaining fighters. Who could fight? "We seem to be out of fighters..."

His jacket was flapping with the wind that had picked up, his wild grin lengthened. "Really?"

Their adversary was hurt and tired, all they needed was one more person to finish the job.

"I'll fight." Tifa called from behind everyone. Her ankle was almost unnoticeable as she walked slowly to her fate.

"No." Stopping in mid-step, her fists of death clenched together confidently. Almost reluctantly spinning around into an argument, she braced her emotions, hoping they didn't show through her eyes. "You cannot battle. You are injured."

"I'm handicapped, yeah. But I'm the one in best shape out of us. Plus, I'm in better shape than him too."

"So was Rude, Elena and Cid."

"Rude was slower. Elena underestimated and Cid let him get too close. Not to mention, they aren't as fast or flexible as I am, I've been watching him."

"You are being-" A smoldering glare attempted to intimidate the defiant girl.

"Stupid? Irrational? It doesn't matter now! We've got to win. Besides... you want the Captivation Materia, don't you? For..." Her... "Lucretia."

Not waiting for a reply, she continued her way down.

Her crimson irises glared into Dom's hazel crazed ones. Both were wounded and both were not to their fullest power, it was all on tactics and technique now. Her scarlet oculus watched carefully as her antagonist hobbled with his hurt leg to his mallet.

Her fishtail swung a little as she slid into a fighting stance. Her own leg had healed quite nicely during the period of time she was stranded within the walls of a cold and hateful place labeled the hospital. Dom, on the other hand, was thoroughly impaired and ruined. He had two bullet wounds, one somewhere in his side and one in his arm. Then there was the large slash on the back of his thigh. Also, he'd fought three people in a row, he must be tired. It almost looked as if Tifa was in advantage.

"Battle... begin!" Dom cut the space between themselves and nearly caught Tifa with a fatal horizontal smack if she hadn't leaned back fast enough. However, it did manage to connect, even the littlest bit, with her chin. And she could feel amazing momentum. Truth was in her statement before; the key to win was speed and dodging.

Lockheart fell onto her back and rolled promptly to her right as the hammer slammed down to where she was just was. Pressing her palm against the cold stone floor, she flew up to be nose to nose against the insane madman. Before she could even express surprise, his knee came up to knock the wind out of her gut.

Clutching her injury, pure hurt was racing to every inch of her body. He was strong. Well obviously! He carries a fucking hammer around... Get your damn head in the game Tifa! Her arms flew up in time to catch the handle of the mallet, ceasing it from crushing her bent over form. Her enemy stood pushing his weight into the weapon. Sweat perspired from her forehead.

Suddenly, Dom let a crazy smirk etch his lips. Without a moment's notice, he let the tool go and watched as the mass pulled her down.

Her head snapped back as the heavy chunk was left for her to carry. The streak of yellow came flying to her skull; connecting with the odd boot, her body fell back. The heavy mallet flew from her grip. Her brain willed her arms to quickly push herself up before the bastard that belonged in an asylum would come and smash her into bits. Yet, there he was, only he had no hammer. Instead, he pounced on her, knees trapping her upper arm. Reaching down, he gripped her beloved gloves and tugged them off, letting the increasing wind dry the supple palms.

He flaunted his insanity like a gold ring while he flung his head back and gave a trembling laugh. Tears were beginning to sting Tifa's eyes as the man's heaviness was crushing her arms.

"How's 'bout a lil' smoochie, sweetie?" '... or flexible as I am.' Tifa's powerful leg pulled up and nailed him in the spine, of course, causing him to fly forward and off her.

"You really are crazy, aren't you?" Her voice mocked him as she leapt off the chilling ground. He also rose from his last assault, more so, this time no childish glee was evident in his russet irises, only the heartless stare of a cold competitor.

"Crazy..." The hoarse whisper was barely audible. Lifting the deadly hammer, he cried out in furious anger and charged at Tifa with alarming speed. The metal head scarcely brushed her nose as her skillful feet carried her body safely away from the madman's tries to kill her. With each speedy step, she etched closer to the end of the stadium.

Something cold pressed against her back as she realized that she was up against one of the shaky pillars. Dom stepped slowly towards her with a glint of absolute confidence in his glossy eyes.

A lowtreble sounded as Tifa ducked for her life and the metal head slammed into the mix and matched column. As fast as she could go, her knees scraped on the rock as she escaped from under his looming form into the open. Just in time too. He turned to face her as pieces from the top of the pillar crumbled down. Three hunks of metal chunks fell with ferocious speed; one's jagged edge dug into Tifa's back, another clanged harmlessly onto the floor and the last knocked Dom right on his cranium.

Her back and shirt was ripped and blood was gushing from its broken veins. Getting up clumsily, she spun around and watched somewhat amused as her adversary staggered in his dizzy haze.

Anger was burning in his eyes when he finally locked irises with her; again with a deadly weapon in his hands, he slowly advanced in a menacing manner. "Ha! You think that will stop me?"

Tifa's mouth opened, wanting to retort yet nothing manifested in her mind. Charging forward, he raised his hammer ready to strike but her body slid down. With a hasty kick, her toned legs made contact with his, forcing him to follow the law of gravity.

Crawling as fast as her skinned and officially scarred knees would take her, Lockheart hoped to get away but a powerful slam crushed her. Rolling over once more, another killing blow destroyed the floor beside her. Nonetheless, she was trapped under his intimidating shadow; he gave a manic grin as his feet stood on each side of her waist.

"You cheat!" Tifa cried out quickly inches before the gavel hit her skull.

"What? Cheat? Moi?" Suddenly forgetting the idea of murder or victory, Dom let the hammer loll at his side.

"T-Those gloves..." Her brain hastily thought of someway to save her own life. "They allow you to get your weapon anytime from anywhere, I say that's unfair."

He fondled her accusation for minutes before reaching to each wrist and peeled off the gloves. "Happy?"

She simply nodded before gripping his ankles and pulled. Jumping up quickly, she took hold of the hammer that lay quaintly by Dom's arm as he began to stand. Without any rational thought, her muscles stressed to slide the heavy metallic beast to another part of the battle field. Turning on her heel to where her enemy stood, he brought up his fist and struck her. At first she stumbled but speedily reached up to block his elbow from striking her left temple, countering, the inky-top fighter, she sent her knee up to his abdominal but he too deterred it with his free hand.

Both pushed the other away, giving each other a smirk, the ensued a series a speedy attacks. Tifa caught her favorite insane boy in a round-house kick causing him to step back willing his diaphragm to work once more. Four knuckles broke his nose and sent him to the floor however two forceful legs invited a female to join him there.

Flinging himself on top of her small frame, his hands would have choked the life out of her if her feet didn't press against the floor and propel her hips upward tossing him off. In synchronized movement, the two jumped into their stances.

Tifa, of course, was faster hence she managed to catch him in a punch. Then her steel toe came up with flexibility and thoroughly marred his eye. As the sanguine juice dripped from his socket, she grabbed both sides of his head and met it halfway with her bony knee.

Unwilling to let her claim his victory, Dominic glared consciously at her with his one good eye. As the Zaghan warrior came running at him with her fists ready to strike, he side-stepped quickly and grabbed one fist, letting her momentum do the work for him.

In the midst of her unbalance, he pounced her once more to pummel her in a fury of fists. A sour fluid was beginning to assault her taste-buds as another hard knuckle hit somewhere random on her face. Tifa's own hands groped blindly past the punches, hoping to grasp something. Anything. Stringy, sweaty hair was the first thing her fingertips tangled into so with one dynamic tug, its seemed to have triggered a harsh scream from the potent attacker and for him to fall to her side.

Barely able to stand, they gawked at each other in gory stares. So much red had collected at Dom's feet; it was surprising he was still up, whilst his female rival was covered in a fresh sheen of burgundy paint.

The wind was digging into their eyes, ripping moisture away. Somehow, they both knew that if they took even the slightest bit of attention from the other, the battle would be over.

"Tifa, cease this idiotic manner!" Not even needing to turn her head, she knew it was Vincent. She couldn't stop now. This was all for him...

"No!"

"You will be killed." Yuffie gripped his arm with her only undamaged one, trying to calm him.

"I can take care of this!" She could have almost sworn Dom was smiling with hilarity in their argument.

"Don't be stupid! You will die!"

"It's for you..." Twisting her neck painfully, her voice was carried in the now vicious wind. "It's worth it."

Vincent had no time to answer before a lightning fast fist smashed into her face, Dom brought back his arm again, readying for another hit but Tifa's own forearm blocked it from any contact. But without her knowledge, his knee ran into her tummy. Bending over in agony, she coughed out blood. A sudden slap flung her onto her side; Tifa lifted her blood-hot eyes to watch her nemesis. Face contorted into disgusting shapes, fingers twitching, thirst of blood unsatisfied, body dripping with lovely dark cherry; Dom, the holder of the needed Captivation Materia, looked down at her.

Absolute hatred smoldered her senses; onto her feet in countless seconds, she caught him in a cruelly hard tackle. As she shoved him into the same pillar, pieces from the top tumbled down dangerously. One extra big chunk sank its razor sharp blade into the girl's arm. Portions of the column showered around her. When the commotion grew silent, Lockheart unshielded herself from her bruised, bloody and broken arms. Looking up, she saw the rest of the post was glued tightly together; each section was securely stuck to the next. Letting her view drift to the base of the pillar, in the middle of all debris, was an unconscious Dom.

Abruptly, the stack of metal squeaked... but nothing more fell. Tifa waited a few more moments before spinning around and gleamed with pride at her teammates. Her fists shot in the life with ultimate victory. Yuffie gave her thumbs up and Vincent smiled happily.

However...

Their expressions quickly changed to panic. Puzzled and bewildered, she didn't know what was wrong until a boisterous and loud creaking sounded behind her and the shadow of a familiar pillar shaded her. Barely being able to turn around, the crushing force of tons of metal knocked her down and broke her.

Every bone imaginable snapped and cracked without resistance. Her nerves screamed at her all at once. Maybe she screamed... maybe she didn't; she couldn't hear anything.

Her vision succumbed to the beckoning white light. Letting her eyelids drift open, she saw what she had been locking in the deepest corner of her mind standing in front of her.

"Hey, Tif." Sizzling cobalt eyes looked at her with unexpected friendliness.

Her mouth opened without noise but nothing could come out, millions of questions caught in her throat.

"It's... been awhile." Golden spikes caused her to tremble.

"... Cloud...?" Finally did she see the memorable setting of the Lifestream. The Lifestream. I'm in the Lifestream. Does... that mean...?

"We need to talk about something."

"Am... I dead?" Tifa stared at her old love with unknown emotion.

oOOooh. gosh. it's a cliffhanger of some sort. -gasp- I really don't know how long the next chapter may take. Everything in my life is completely unpredictable right now so I'll just try writing as much as I can. Peace.