Disclaimer:
I don't own any of the characters written here nor do I own the plot on which this story is based on. I own only my words. If you have any problem with that, don't read this.

Author's Note:
For my previous readers, you may not have read the previous chapter since I replaced my message with the real stuff. Thus, you may not have received any alert about it. Anyways, I just wanted to let you people know so you won't get too confused about it all. Oh yeah, this chapter is mostly about the fight between Tifa and Loz. Hope you enjoy it!

Quote:
I like this passage… I should put it in my first chapter but what I wrote is way too short. Anyways, I think this captures the theme of any good fanfiction with lots of angst. Also, Nicholas Sparks is the master of romance novels. No doubt about that.

"Where does a story truly begin? In life, there are seldom clear-cut beginnings, those moments when we can, in looking back, say that everything started. Yet there are moments when fate intersects with our daily lives, setting in motion a sequence of events whose outcome we could never have foreseen."
A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

'Too slow!'

Pain flared from her stomach as the fist made its way past her defenses. Tifa stumbled back, her form doubled over in an attempt to stop the fire running through her body. Though hurt, she kept her eyes on him, unwilling to let her guard once more.

"This is very disappointing… I had such high expectations of your abilities but I guess two years will do a lot to you… What a pity…" The silver-haired man said, gloating in his latest success. He narrowed his eyes and started to advance, his footsteps echoing in the hollow church.

'The bastard…' Tifa cursed. The two of them had been fighting for more than ten minutes and it's been wearing her down. Her fatigue was starting to affect her reflexes and sooner or later, a fatal error would be made. 'I have to end it soon… But what to do?' She wondered. Then an idea stuck her. 'Wait… The benches… Would it work? … … Maybe… I have to try it…'

She slowly willed away her pain away but kept her wounded appearance. Feigning fear, she took a few steps back until her right foot came into contact with one of the pews. 'Perfect!" She thought as she braced her leg for a strong push. 'Just a little closer…'

"You shouldn't run from a fight… Not when I'm not-" Loz's taunt was cut short by Tifa's quick action. Using her left foot as a pivot, she pushed off the wooden leg as hard as possible, adding much to her momentum. Tucking her right arm in, she quickly spun, dealing a harsh blow with her elbow. It struck him right across his face, staggering him back against the wall.

Loz growled in frustration. The battle was entirely in his favor until this moment when she caught him unprepared. 'This isn't acceptable!' He shook his head and moved to his left. Staying still would leave him open to another attack. If he kept moving, he may be able to buy a few seconds to regain his vision. However, the first thing he saw was the brunette leaping in the air. 'Crap…'

Tifa jumped at his former position, the intended kick for his head meeting stone instead of flesh. Not relinquishing her advantage, she kicked off, getting higher and closer to her target below. When her feet met a nearby pillar, she pushed off, finally catching up to the man. Pouncing on him like a preying feline, she gave a harsh kick to his left side, making him fall backwards.

Loz did a flip once he saw her attack. Even though she made contact, his movement followed the same direction as the blow, greatly lessening the damage. Gritting his teeth, he continued his flip backwards, eager to face his opponent on better terms. 'Now you're… WHAT!'

Loz watched helplessly as Tifa took a few steps forward and shot her hand out, grabbing his face. With surprising strength, she slammed his head down, grinding it against the floor. With their combined momentum, he could feel the coarse wood and the intense heat resulting from friction.

"ARRRRRG!" He yelled, voicing his pain and frustration. Yet, his suffering was not over. Tifa grabbed the front of his vest and with a scream of rage, threw him head over heels. He tumbled through the air, disorientated and knowing nothing more than the imminent pain awaiting him.

CRASH!

Loz slammed into the far wall, his left arm taking the most damage. Fortunately for him, the massive claw attached to it cushioned the blow, leaving him moderately wounded. Tifa quickly turned around, eager to know how successful her attack was. Arching her eyebrows in surprise, she found him little more than out of breath and disoriented. Yet, he was still moving, this time faster than before. In fact, there was a bluish glow following his every move, giving an eerie blur to his darkened form. He dashed toward the center of the church, wanting to put as much distance between him and her. The brunette pursued but by the time she reached him, he was fully prepared to defend himself.

However, there was one more trick up her sleeves. Her energy was at their maximum, the frustration and anger she kept in boiling to the point where she risked losing concentration of the battle. 'Beat rush,' she thought before unleashing her first limit break. A flurry of fists attacked Loz, almost breaking through his defenses. Almost being the key word.

Every punch was blocked or deflected away. Seeing that her first limit would be of no use of if it can't do any damage, she decided to do a roundabout kick, one aimed of his neck. If it was successful, there should be enough force to break his spine and handicap him.

Feinting an attack to his left, she suddenly changed direction and spun her leg right at him. 'Almost…'

Suddenly, a blur of blue appeared at the edge of her vision. Loz's arm came up faster than the eye could see and blocked her kick. With a smirk, he kept his grip on her ankle and swung her around, like an athlete about to throw a discus.

"RAAAAAAAGH!"

After swinging her around him twice, he let go and sent her flying above the patch of flowers. At the speed she's going, her body would be seriously injured if she doesn't do anything to break her fall. Yet, as her form sped toward the hard bricks, she couldn't think fast enough.

'There's… not… enough… time… Nothing… I'm sorry… Marlene… I'm sorry… Barret… I'm sorry… Cloud… Cloud… I'm so sorry…' She closed her eyes and waited for her end to come.

When her eyes saw darkness, Tifa suddenly had a flashback. She remembered the lessons she had with Xangan, her teacher and master of the martial arts. She recalled the many times her instructor threw her and how she would land painfully on her back. In those early days, she had to learn a new technique, one that allowed her to land properly. The event happening right now resembled one of her past sparring exercise. Delving into her memories, Tifa found out how to counter Loz's throw.

With speed borne from desperation, she twisted her body and spread her legs out. While doing so, her body flew just over the flowers, the gust caused by her passing cut the petals off of the flowers, scattering them into the air. The brunette flew into the wall and braced herself in time. Still, the throw had enough momentum to keep her suspended in midair. Slowly raising her head, she saw Loz smiling at her.

"It's time to end this…" He said, approaching her with malice in his eyes. Tifa started to fall down, gravity pulling her body down. Her body finally gave up, too tired to continue the fight. Crashing onto the bed of flowers, she sprained her ankle and the additional injury would surely cost her the battle. 'No…' She thought. 'I managed to stop that… I can do this…'

Yet, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, Tifa couldn't move. Her ankle refused to bear her weight. Through teary eyes, she watched as her death approached. His dark form blurred into a shadow, one likened to the grim reaper. Soon, Loz was standing over her, ready to finish her off. That was the last thing she saw before her vision faded black.

"It's over. I win." The silver-haired man said with a victorious smirk. Then, he raised his claw up, prepared to deal the fatal blow.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! STOP!"

A scream stopped Loz from delivering his attack. Quickly, he turned around and looked for the person who shouted out loud. He was expecting another Avalanche member to fight him but was very surprised to find the little girl he sought standing at the entrance.

"Let her go! I'll go with you if you leave my aunt alone!" She yelled. Despite her noble words, she was shivering in fear, a fact noticed by the man.

"Eh? What makes you think I'll listen to you?" He taunted, raising his fist again. "Do you really think that you could stop me?"

"No…" Her eyes were downcast when she realized how helpless she truly was. Marlene knew that she wasn't strong at all and there weren't any weapons nearby. Still, if she could stall long enough, Tifa may regain consciousness and get away.

"Please… just don't hurt her…" The child begged with pleading eyes.

Loz, despite his intimidating appearance, was very sensitive to the emotions of others. Even though he beat Tifa without remorse, the sight of a despairing child struck a chord in his cold heart. He could feel her pain, her suffering, her distress. After all, he was about to kill her best friend in front of her eyes. The fighter closed his eyes and tried to finish off the unconscious woman before him. 'No… I have to do this… For Kadaj and Yazoo… Damn…' Loz's will crumbled once he opened his eyes, the same vision before him. 'I'm too weak… Sorry brother… I'm… too weak…'

"Alright…" The man relented, walking away from the prone body. He walked up to Marlene, cowing her with his superior height. Yet, she didn't look afraid this time. Instead, a single word escaped her mouth, a plea for help. "Cloud."

"Marlene! Run! Run Marlene! Get away from her!" Another voice cut through the air. Tifa had just woke up and saw him towering over the girl.

"… So… child… you have betrayed me…" Loz's temper flared after realizing what happened. 'Smart child… Buying time for your hero huh? Not good enough! I'll make you suffer!'

With lightning speed, Loz dashed back to Tifa and before she could do anything, gave her a powerful uppercut that sent her flying straight up. With a resounding THUMP, the brunette landed onto the flowers for the second time. 'Now she won't be waking up anytime soon… In fact, I'll make sure that she never wakes up again!' His claw rose into the air, the silver metal glinting in the golden sunlight.

"No!" Marlene screamed. "Please… I'll go with you… Just leave her alone… Please…" She took a step toward the doors, willing herself to run. The silent threat was communicated to the villain, one not ignored.

'No… If I do this, she'll get away and Kadaj doesn't want that… Hmmm… I have no choice… Anyways, I would like to have a rematch with her…' He inwardly smiled at the thought. 'Maybe by then, she'll be stronger… Heh…' Loz lowered his fist, showing his agreement.

Marlene whimpered as he approached her. Yet, she knew that since his total concentration was devoted to her, there was no chance that she could escape. Still, even if she wanted to move, fear gripped her heart, the emotion holding her immobile like a steel vice.

'Tifa…' Marlene thought before Loz tapped her in the temple. It was a light blow but it managed to knock the child out.

"Mission… complete…" Loz said to the unconscious woman. "I'll look forward to our next fight…" With that, he slung the girl over his shoulder and left the church. Seconds later, the sound of a motorcycle revving up could be heard, followed quickly by screeching wheels. Peace and quiet returned to the area though the only person who could hear it was lying motionless among flowers.

The fight between Tifa and Loz was over… Loz had won.

Meaningless Dialogue
FreeCorpKnight: Fa! La! La! Lucky chapter 13 done!

Reno: Took you long enough… What have you been doing?

FreeCorpKnights: Oh… Packing for college, moving into my dorm, getting adjusted to my classes, learning to cope with the attitude of sophomores and juniors, reading Fullmetal Alchemist manga…

Reno: I shouldn't have asked… (walks away)

FreeCorpKnight: Watching Bleach…

Rude: … (follows)

FreeCorpKnight: Doing my homework…

Elena: (shakes head) The leader of the Turks… is a baka… (sees Reno talk to a woman at the bar) No… (watches as he gets slapped) He's a baka hentai… (walks away in the opposite direction)

FreeCorpKnight: And then… (looks around) Where did everyone go?

(sound of crickets)

FreeCorpKnight: Damn… Scared them away…

Translations
Baka: idiot

Hentai: perverted

Baka hentai: perverted idiot