Snowflakes fell like cold, distant puffs of star encrusted light from a slate grey sky that was alternately bright and dark. This day the dawn had broke imperceptible and with impossible stillness. It was so peaceful that if you looked at the sleepy town just right, it began to resemble a live replica of the little snow globes sold in Nibelheim's many gift shops --A tranquil world in a globe, shaken gently by the hand of God.
It had been over two weeks since Tifa's first meeting with Shinra and their short, but eventful trek up the mountain. But she wasn't thinking about that today. Serious thoughts were far from her mind. In fact, her mind wasn't overly preoccupied with much of anything, other than looking forward to Zangan's return and perhaps a letter from Cloud. The mail had been delayed and she could hope. Though all in all, her mind was free from anything more stressful than the most superficial observations.
This was the kind of day reserved for relaxing, that peculiar kind of winter morning where you just didn't feel like doing much of anything. The kind of quiet Sunday in winter that was uncommon in Nibelheim, a town which during this time was usually quite busy. Yes, the snow had returned, as it always did but not with the roar of a lion, as most expected. It crept in soundlessly one day, gracing the tiny village with its beauty. This was an inside day, a day to curl up next to a blazing hearth fire and be glad that you were warm and cozy.
Tifa had taken a place in the living room of her home. She sat down in one of the large window seats to look out at the placid beauty laid out before her, observing the cold tranquility with dreamy eyes. It had been her intention to sit here and watch the snow fall and knit in peace. But the best laid plans and intentions had a way of not turning out exactly as you wanted them to. She'd snuggled down amongst the plush pillows with her afghan and her knitting supplies, intent on finishing a scarf for her father. Until the cat interrupted this quiet reverie with his own unscheduled feline intervention. He had jumped up suddenly and appropriated her lap. Claiming it as his own by firmly sitting atop her knitting, letting it know who was boss, nobody divided his human's attention. Nobody and nothing. This was the polite cat way of saying...there is nothing more important than me. Despite her initial grumbling, Tifa acquiesced to her feline companion's demands.
Tama was her constant companion when she had a spare minute to spend in her actual home, which was not very often. He was a one year old white and grey shorthaired calico cat, the feline version of a mutt. She could have asked for a pure breed. Some high and mighty cat that came from parents who were certified blue ribbon winners. Her father had the money, but Tifa had always appreciated runty, animal shelter cats better anyway. There was something more humble about them...and she liked humble.
She'd taken his name from a Wutanese astronomy book that Zangan gave her as a present last year for the winter solstice. It listed the Wutanese names for various constellations. The cat had been her father's present and she had searched the pages of her new book for a name. She decided on a constellation in the southern sky. There was a list of two names for each constellation, as Wutai was known to have two official dialects. She'd chosen the Northern Mandarin name for the constellation of Cancer. Tamahome. It meant Demon Star, which described her cat quite adequately.
Her father wasn't a fan of the long, foreign name. He found it had to pronounce and had taken to calling him either Tama, for short, or Mr. Cat. The later was usually only reserved for when Tama made him mad, which was a lot. Tama couldn't help attacking his toes; honestly...it was his fault for tempting the cat with them in the first place. Tifa's favorite name for him was Tama-pants. She'd even gone so far as to have made up a little song about it, which she would sing to no one. Mostly, they just called him Tama and it suited him quite well.
Tifa leaned back, wiggling her toes to try and regain some feeling in her stiff extremities. Her feet had begun to fall asleep about an hour ago and she'd been trying desperately to ward off the tingly feeling in her toes. Being stuck underneath a sleepy cat had its disadvantages. He'd sprawled over her, stretched out and looking quite comfortable. His royal felineness was relaxed in half-sleep, his furry little chest rising and falling softly. Tifa absently stroked his head and he made a tired little chirping sound from the back of his throat. It was something between a purr and a meow, sounding like buurrbbbtttt as it came out. She smiled, scratching behind his ear as she watched the snow fall gently outside. The cat purred his approval, thoroughly enjoying the attention. He squinted and curled his paws around her wrist, leaning into the touch. She looked down, always amazed when he gave her a hug like that.
She had decided that there was nothing better in this world than moments like this. Times when you had nothing more important to do than sit on a couch with a cat on your lap while watching the world pass you by. The only way this could be more perfect was if she had a cup of hot cocoa. That would be heaven in a box.
Tifa smiled serenely, letting out a long contented sigh. She'd stopped petting the cat, much to his irritation. He gave her hand a little nip, to let her know he didn't give her permission to stop. Honestly, humans could be the dullest creatures. His sharp little canines dug painfully into the meat of her pointer finger and she yelped.
"OW! You little shit!" She cried, tapping his nose gently to make him aware of her disapproval.
The cat was nonplussed, looking up at his owner with heavy-lidded eyes. He yowlped and licked the injured finger.
"Fine. I forgive you....Demon cat." she cooed, pausing to give the area between his ears a good scratch.
The cat stretched and snuggled into the crook of her arm, covering his face with a paw. He'd be good for now. She stopped petting him momentarily and took a look at the damage. It was nothing more serious than a small half-moon cut that bled just a little bit. She pushed on it with her thumb and a small drop of blood beaded on her pale skin. Tifa stared at it for a moment, before deciding to stick it in her mouth and suck on it. Somehow, it helped relieve the stinging. She didn't care to know how or why, it just did. In the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware that it wasn't exactly the best way to treat an animal bite. But there was nothing to do about it. She was effectively trapped underneath the cat. Yes, she could move and get an adhesive bandage but then she'd have cat guilt...and there was nothing worse than cat guilt.
The door that led from the hallway to the living room opened with a squeak. In stepped the new maid, Anya. She hadn't been around long enough for Tifa to catch the last name, but she seemed nice enough. They'd been through a lot of maids, so she stopped learning their entire name because she'd just end up having to forget it anyway. She carried a ceramic tray with a mug on top of it. The prim, older woman walked with neat and careful steps towards Tifa. So far, she liked the new maid. She was cheerful, having something of a perpetual smile on her face, which was good.
"Here's your chocolate, Mademoiselle." She said, with a hint of humor.
Tifa grinned and took it gratefully without a word.
"Careful, dear, it's hot."
Too late. She'd grabbed the sides of the cup with both hands foolishly, so excited by the prospect of hot chocolate, that she abandoned all reason and logic. Shaking her hands, Tifa maneuvered her fingers over the handle quickly.
"Thanks." Tifa replied absently, cursing her over-eagerness.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Anything else I can get you?"
Tifa generally disliked diminutives when coming from strangers, but for one reason or the other, when Anya did it....she wasn't quite bothered by it.
"Nope, I'm good. Thanks a bunch...again."
"No worries." Anya said with a little grin, "Well, if you won't be needing anything else, I'll be popping downstairs to do some laundry...just in case you do need me." She turned to walk away, thought better of it and paused, "Would you mind answering the door?"
"No prob, Bob. I got it covered. You go do what you gotta do."
"Great. See you in two shakes.", the maid replied cheerily.
Just before she left the room, she propped open the living room door, so that Tifa could hear the door chime. Tifa didn't take much notice of the woman leaving; she was too absorbed in her Cup o'Heaven. She sipped it carefully and savored the syrupy flavor, impatient for it to cool so she could drink more. Tipping the cup up, she was delighted to find that Anya had thrown in some of those tiny marshmallows. The last maid never put marshmallows in. Especially the dinky little ones she was fond of.
In her book, not putting tiny marshmallows in your hot chocolate was something akin to sacrilege. People, like the last maid, who shunned the marshmallow were evil and not to be trusted, AND in her humble opinion should generally be regarded with suspicion and righteous ire. It was official, she LOVED the new maid. She made a mental note to tell her Dad that this one was a keeper.
Taking another long sip, she was delighted to capture a half melted marshmallow in her mouth, which she promptly began to chew. The cat had noticed she had something resembling food and he stirred. His head lifted slightly to sniff the air, his nose curling when he found that food to be chocolate. He lay back down and snuggled in again, his almond shaped eyes closing to nothing but slits. Tifa ruffled the soft fur on his belly, which made the cat offer another one of his strange pewling sounds. Another smile and another sigh of pure contentment escaped her lips. This had to be the most perfect day ever, in the whole history of the world.
Then the doorbell went off and Tifa scowled at it, ignoring the stupid bell. It was probably just that brat next door trying to play another practical joke. Well, one snowball in the face was enough for her. She turned back to gaze out at the snow and took another long gulp of hot chocolate. The door chime started up again, this time, slightly more insistent. Tifa groaned, she didn't want to get up. Then it occurred to her that it might not be the neighbor brat. It might be someone else.
"Nuts!" She whispered softly, giving the door a dark look.
She really, really, REALLY didn't want to get up. Maybe they'd just go away and come back later. A knock came, which was much louder than the chime and far more authoritative.
"Oh, just go away." She hissed.
Yet another knock came shortly thereafter, this one managing to be even louder than the last, which was followed by a series of quick raps. Persistent bastards. Dammit. Anya was in the basement, probably for a long time. She'd have to get it, she did kind of promise.
"MAN!" She grumbled aloud.
Whoever it was, they had better be on fire or something, for interrupting her quiet time she demanded no less. Tifa set the cup down on the wide window ledge and reached for a halfgil from her stock she kept there for just such emergencies. She got the cat's attention and tossed the Gil. The cat's head snapped up and followed the coin's progress through the air with mild interest. It looked to be a two coin day today. She picked up another ha'gil and chucked it. This time, the cat bolted off her lap and ran for it, tearing across the room like it was being chased by something. Now freed, Tifa got up and stretched her legs before making for the front door.
She opened the door, hiding behind it slightly just in case it was annoying neighbor brat. Poking her head out, she was shocked and a bit embarrassed to find it was one of the Shinra officers, who looked to be half frozen. Zack Brannigan was his name if she remembered correctly. The general's second in command. She stared at him quizzically for a moment. What was he doing here?
Tifa knew their time in Nibelheim was drawing to a close. Three days after the initial trip to the reactor, they'd finished up a good portion of the monster clean up. If she was correct, they should be done by now...in fact, they should have left days ago, before this sudden storm hit. That was what the papers Shinra had given them said. Perhaps their transport back had been delayed because of the weather. They'd come by truck, so it made sense but it wouldn't be that late. Besides, the roads were slick and it was slow going but they were passable.
"Cuh-cuh-ca-kin-c-c-can I cuh-come in?" asked the soldier, very obviously trying to keep his teeth from chattering.
"Oh!" Tifa exclaimed with soft embarrassment, "Yeah, sure...I'm sorry."
"S-s-oh-kay..."
She opened the door wide, letting a swirling mass of snow into the spacious foyer. The young soldier entered with a swiftness born of training and the need to be immediately warm. His arms were wrapped around himself, firming clutching the fabric of his coat. He quickly pulled off his gloves and began to blow on his hands. Snow was stuck in his coal black hair and began to melt upon entering. Tifa shook her head, the idiot wasn't even wearing a hat. She closed the door firmly behind him, shivering herself as the cold permeated the warmth of the foyer. Her attention was turned back to the soldier, who was desperately trying to unbutton his coat but his fingers were too numb to accomplish the task. She rolled her eyes and stomped over to him, shaking her feet out when she encountered spots of slowly melting snow.
"Here, let me help." She said, with motherly irritation.
Tifa was very used to taking care of helpless men by this point. She unbuttoned the garment and helped him out of it, trying her best not to laugh at him as he stood there shivering. She shook out the coat he was wearing, noticing for the first time how inadequate such a garment was for the weather here. It was a thin, army issued cotton jacket. There was no lining of any kind, not even a hood to protect the head. This was a jacket designed for cooler climes, to keep out the wind and rain. She was sure it'd do fine in a place like Midgar, which really didn't get all that cold during the winter. But it was effectively useless up here in the mountains. He might as well have gone out in just his skivvies. Honestly, what was he thinking?
She flipped it over one arm and gave the soldier a solidly disapproving look. Idiot. How in the world this man got to be second in command of anything was beyond her. Shaking her head again, she reached out to grab his wrist and was shocked to find how cold his skin was. Tifa sighed heavily as the solider looked at her miserably, the curtain of his dark bangs hanging limply in front of his face. She watched him for a moment, again trying not to laugh. He looked extra ridiculous, as tall and strapping as he was...just standing in her foyer, knock kneed frozen because he was unprepared for the weather. He tried then to stutter out a sentence, which ended up as a series of unrelated sounds that came out haltingly. Tifa held up a hand and closed her eyes, silencing him with the look of utter bemusement as she shook her head in absolute disbelief. Foreigners. There was nothing much to be done about his situation but to thaw him out. She took him by the wrist roughly and dragged him into the living room.
He tried to object but he was too cold and Tifa was far too stubborn to take any guff from him. It was always hard to get a word in edgewise when she made up her mind and no man was half as stubborn as she was.
"Sit." She commanded, pointing to a chair that sat directly in front of the fireplace.
He did as he was told, taking his place silently in front of the blazing hearth fire. With efficiency that was near effortless, she bustled about the room. Finding an afghan, she tossed it at him, letting it land messily on his head. He tugged his way out, looking at her wide eyed as he arranged it. She chuckled at him. The solider again tried to say something and she held up a warning finger, which silenced him immediately. She disappeared and came back moments later with a large and fluffy towel for him to dry his hair with. Shoving it into his outstretched hand, she stood there for a moment before disappearing again.
She let him go at it, as she strode back into the kitchen. Quickly marching down the basement steps, she entered the laundry room. Anya gazed up at her questioningly from the romance novel she was reading. Tifa merely smiled and held up the now sopping jacket.
"Got any room in the dryer?"
"Plenty."
Tifa opened up the rumbling dryer door and tossed the jacket in, resetting the controls with a quick click. She slammed the door shut and the machine began to rattle and hum anew. The maid asked no questions, simply going back to reading while Tifa finished her business and left.
As she trudged up the stairs, she'd taken a small amount of time to think. Why was the general's second in command here? Surely, if they needed something they could have spared one of their less important members. Why was Shinra still here at all? Now it really began to bother her. Something strange was going on. She hadn't really reflected upon it much, but now that the feeling was pinpointed, she couldn't rid herself of it. It was like she was waiting for something...a terrible something. A sense of unreasonable foreboding had overcome her...a deep, inescapable dread slipped through her veins, as cold and unforgiving as the snow that piled outside her window, beautiful but deadly in its own way. On the surface, this dread seemed baseless but she couldn't shake it, not entirely and with a mind now troubled, she unfroze and ascended the rest of the stairs.
Jogging back up into the kitchen, she opened up the cupboard, grunting with dissatisfaction as the only coffee cup left was on the top shelf. She inwardly cursed herself for being so short before pouncing on top of the counter. Her knees raked over the uneven surface of the tile uncomfortably as she reached up to grab the cup. Stretching, the accursed cup was just out of her reach. She shifted her position; reaching as far as she could...she fumbled with the cup, her finger just barely hooking over it.
Her tongue stuck out between her teeth as she pulled it forward with a satisfied grunt. Triumphantly crowing to herself when she claimed her prize, she hopped down and skipped over to the range. Carefully, she ladled out some hot cocoa for the soldier, it would have to be warmed up but that was no big deal. Some of the liquid spilled onto her hand as she ladled and she cursed quietly, licking the spot where it fell before setting the cup inside the microwave. Moments later the buzzer went off and she carefully pulled it out by the handle. Even then it was hot. She searched for a towel and upon finding one, used it as a makeshift oven-mitt.
Tifa almost exited the kitchen before something stopped her. She'd forgotten the marshmallows. There was a brief thought that he might not like marshmallows...but it was quickly pushed to the side. After an involved search, she found the marshmallows and plunked five or six into the steaming cup. Satisfied, Tifa carefully shuffled back into the living room and presented the solider with the cup of cocoa. His head was buried in the towel as he rubbed his hair dry and he didn't notice she'd come back. In fact, he hadn't really noticed that she'd left. Until he lifted his head up to find a proffered cup of hot cocoa hovering in front of his face. He looked up at her with wide blue eyes. For a moment, Tifa was reminded of Cloud. His eyes were the same color and a shadow of melancholy flickered across her face. The soldier was apparently oblivious, and hadn't noticed as he reached out for the cup and took it gingerly from her grasp.
"Careful, it's hot."
This was not Cloud. No matter how much his eyes reminded her of him. This boy's eyes had that insidious mako glow to them. They were unnatural...and creepy, in her opinion. Shinra took too many liberties with nature and sooner or later, Tifa reckoned nature would turn around and bite them in the ass. And one of the most important people in her life had run to them in search of glory. Would his eyes look like that now? If he had been accepted into SOLDIER...they would. Why couldn't he see that she didn't care? Why hadn't she been brave enough to tell him upfront? This was doing her no good. Damn weather. Tifa shook away her sadness, staring into space blankly for a moment while the soldier fumbled with his cocoa.
"Thanks, "He nodded, still shivering a bit as he brought the cup to his lips. ".Hey! Little marshmallows!" he exclaimed gleefully, his voice still unsteady from the cold.
"Yup." Tifa replied with a warm smile as she came back to herself, glad that her gamble on the marshmallows worked out. "So, what were you doing out in this weather dressed like that? You have a death wish?"
"No...no...it's j-just...I've never b-been this far nuh-north before."
"Well that explained a few things", she thought as the blank look on her face dissipated and her thoughts strayed from her loneliness, to more pressing issues. She couldn't help it this time, she laughed at him openly. He really was a moron, but a likeable one.
"...And I guess you thought any old coat would do?" She chuckled again, shaking her head for the nth time, "Well, I got that dinner jacket you call a coat in the dryer. Should be ready in about an hour, till then...make yourself at home."
"Oh..." he replied, pausing and fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair, "I don't h-have that much time. I got to g-get back..."
Tifa looked at him with blandly narrowed eyes, "Uh-huh. You're not going anywhere, buster."
"No, really...I just need to use your p-phone...I..."
Scowling, she interrupted him with a dismissive hand wave, "Blah-blah-blah-blah...You're staying here until you're dry and warm. Don't argue with me."
All too quickly he acquiesced, deciding it'd be nice to stay in the home of a very pretty girl for awhile. Besides, he got the feeling that if she got it into her head, she was very capable of making him stay put, whether he liked it or not. It wasn't just the headstrong attitude; she had a confidence to her that most other girls lacked. And the general had mentioned she had some martial arts training before he turned into the incredible brooding man.
Tifa sat down quietly in the chair next to him, plopping her socked feet onto the ottoman just in front of her. She could just feel the pleasant heat of the fire on the bottoms of her feet as it warmed them and dried the damp parts of her socks. Yawning, she watched the young solider for a moment before picking up a magazine to examine. It had started to darken a bit outside and her dad would be home soon.
Idly, she leafed through the magazine, not really reading it so much as she was looking at the pictures. World travel magazines tried so hard to be interesting but in general failed miserably. This one was no exception. Right now, she was satisfied with looking at the photos from some archeologist's recent travels to Cosmo Canyon. For what, she didn't care. The pictures of the native villagers were fascinating enough for her. Besides, it gave her good cover to keep an eye on Brannigan without being obvious. He'd really agreed to stay here too fast. She didn't trust Shinra to begin with...and there was a part of her that was still wary. That question kept sling-shotting back at her. Why were they still here? Why was he here now? Something wasn't right.
And the thought made her go still with unreasonable terror. She looked at Brannigan over her magazine. As always, he seemed oblivious to the part of the world that didn't involve him. Maybe she was just over-thinking things. Just feeling all doom and gloomy because of the accident that happened...or it could be something else. God knows, she wasn't the most optimistic person in the world. It was most likely just weather related blues. Besides, Zack seemed like a nice enough guy, if a bit girl crazy. What the hell was she thinking?
As if to relieve her own troubled conscience, she asked, "So, why do you need to use the phone?"
It was an abrupt and strange way to break the silence that hovered over the room. For a moment, all they did was stare at each other, Tifa looking at him with questioning expectation, Brannigan looking at her with restless worry. Zack turned his gaze to the fire, staring at it for a moment before going back to his cocoa. Taking a minute sip, he sighed.
"It's classified."
"There's something wrong...isn't there?"
He was stunned by how perceptive the girl was. Then he realized that his face was an open book and probably not that hard to read. Sephiroth was always scolding him for that...before....and now...His meandering thoughts tapered off and he looked at the girl with renewed seriousness.
"Yes, there is."
She felt like she'd been punched with a block of ice, but managed to quell the shock. "What's wrong with your phones?"
Tifa knew they couldn't use conventional phones lines. They weren't secure. She also knew they had a PHS radio system with them; the huge radar dish on the Shinra mansion's roof gave that away. Not to mention the army issued cell phones.
"Our satellite link is out or something. I haven't been able to get anyone for the better part of a day. So, I thought I'd risk using a ground line." He replied honestly.
She folded her arms and looked him directly in the eye, "What's going on?"
"I can't tell you."
Tifa snorted and shook her head, glaring at him, "You Shinra bastards. Always with your secrets." She paused, staring at him with grim earnestness, "Think for a moment if this was your hometown. If there's something wrong...we have a right to know."
Zack sighed, it sounded weighted...heavy. Like this was something he'd been forced to think long and hard on. Too long, in fact.
"It's nothing with the reactor...that's fine. It's..." He closed his eyes, cursing himself to the four winds.
"It's...what?" She asked, motioning for him to continue, "Listen, if it'll make you feel more comfortable. This is all between you and me. Alright?"
"The general." He stated softly, hating himself for saying anything. Hating that telling someone else made him feel better. "I think something's wrong with him. Something happened up there...I think....I think he's losing it."
She nodded in comprehension. Yes, she remembered him storming out of the reactor. The look on his face...for a moment, that empty void she'd perceived in his eyes when she first met him had left. The void had been filled and behind them was endless sorrow, he looked so haunted. As if he was being chased by the fleeting images of long forgotten memories or ghosts that she couldn't...didn't want to imagine. Sephiroth...the man, he looked to be the kind of person who'd already seen too much. But that look. He looked...he looked like someone who'd realized one, final horrifying truth that was too much for any soul, no matter how strong, to bear. Tifa's heart beat faster and her mind swirled with uneven worry, part real, part superficial concern. Berating herself for letting her imagination get the best of her, all the while wondering if what she felt was true. Was he unstable? Is that what Zack was saying? It couldn't be. Shinra wouldn't send someone incapable...and the Great General Sephiroth was far from incapable. Everyone knew that, even an inveterate doubter like Tifa.
"...What happened?"
"I don't really know. He's just...different. Quieter. Moodier. I don't know." He blurted out, clearly frustrated, "He's been down in that library for hours. The light hasn't gone out once in...GOD!....Days!...it's....I just think...I think he needs to get out of here. I think we all do. Maybe..." He sighed dejectedly, "... I don't know. I just really don't know..."
Tifa nodded, these Midgardians wouldn't be used to the quiet oppression of a Nibelheim winter. So, maybe it wasn't as bad as all that. The general seemed to be an impatient man, and maybe spending hours in a library was his way to pass the time. Zack was probably exaggerating. They were just stir-crazy and because they didn't live here, they didn't understand what was happening. But something still doesn't feel right...Tifa frowned, beating back her worry away and looking over at Zack sympathetically. His head hung low and he cradled it in one, shaking palm. Their time here hadn't been easy, that much was plain to see. Dismissing her dread as pure and utter foolishness, she tried to look at things more positively. Maybe, she could make things better for these guys. They were stuck here anyway; it wouldn't kill her to attempt civility.
She set a slim hand on his shoulder, "Hey, don't worry. He's probably just stir-crazy. It happens a lot this time of year." He nodded numbly, "I got an idea. Why don't you stay for dinner?"
"...I can't...my men..."
"I'll have Anya call up Rainbow Grille and have them send some stuff over. Hamburgers okay?"
"Yeah, sure...." Zack replied automatically.
It had been awhile since he'd seen such kindness and it was with much regret that he remembered it. He closed his eyes and wished with all his heart he was home. That things between him and Aeris could be different...he missed her and now that longing was punctuated more than ever. Past can't change. He was here now...and dinner did sound good.
The young soldier fell silent, staring into the crackling fire with a pinched look on his face. Tifa didn't have to guess what he was thinking about. Girl crazy moron he might be, but he was a good friend to be so worried, even if it was over something as silly as the winter blahs. She smiled as she stood up from her chair, stretching the stiffness from her limbs. It'd be better to leave him alone to think. Anya would need help with dinner anyway. She shuffled towards the door to the hall, lingering just inside the door and gazing back at the pensive soldier.
"The phone is over there..." She said, pointing to the dark shape that sat atop a desk just to the left of the fireplace. "....Just so you know."
He nodded wordlessly, glancing at the phone briefly before training his gaze back on the fire. Shrugging, she padded out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. Her steps were soundless, cushioned by the heavy socks she wore. Entering the kitchen, she noted Anya was already there, chopping up an onion next to the sink. Dinner looked to be already well on the way. The noodles for the spaghetti were already in the pot and bubbling pleasantly. The fixings for homemade sauce were out and Tifa smiled. She liked this maid more and more each moment. Tifa rolled up the sleeves of her sweater and prepared to join the fray.
"Need any help?"
The maid started a little, turning to regard her young charge, "Well, you don't have to..."
"I know."
"Well, the garlic bread needs to be made...do you..?"
Tifa grinned, "Please. I've been cooking since I was ten."
She picked up the loaf of bread the maid had indicated and cut into it neatly. As she prepared her ingredients, she lost herself in thought. It had always been an easy task when she was cooking. A nice way to work out her problems and still feel useful at the same time, as there was nothing more irritating to her than pointless brooding. She was worried for the strangers in their midst and it perturbed her.
This whole situation wasn't really any of her business anyway, but she felt compelled to help them out. Maybe it was because the lieutenant general in the living room reminded her of a more outgoing Cloud. She had to admit that despite her distrust, these folks from Shinra weren't all bad. They'd come all the way up here, braving the weather and the relative remoteness of the location. All to take care of a tiny little reactor leak...and now they were stuck. She bet they were awful homesick.
Tifa had spoken more with Zack than any of the other soldiers and he had related to her that he did miss Midgar...and oddly enough, his ex-girlfriend, who he talked about at length. They'd had an extended conversation about the nature of forgiveness and whether or not he'd have a chance with her again. Tifa had commented that she must be something for him to be so serious about her...and of course, she'd asked him why he'd let her go in the first place. To which, he fell incredibly silent.
She'd guessed it was probably her that did the leaving. Tifa wondered absently if he wished he was home right now and on the way to apologize profusely to the girl. She'd suggested to him as much. And what of the enigmatic general? She still remembered the flicker of that ribbon on his wrist, probably anxious to get back to her as well. Tifa sighed sadly, suddenly missing Cloud...wishing that he'd been assigned here. She wondered what he was doing right now. The back door creaked open and a cold wind rushed in. Tifa didn't notice, absently melting butter into a sauce pan as she stared into space.
"Gil for your thoughts?"
Tifa nearly jumped out of her skin, staring at her father with wide eyes, "Gods! You scared me!"
He laughed robustly, greeting Anya before hanging his coat on a hanger near the door, and kicking off his boots.
"What's cooking?" He asked, setting his briefcase on the kitchen table as he tried to glance over the two bustling women to see what they were fixing for himself.
"Spaghetti...green beans...garlic bread...." Anya answered chipperly. "Tifa said it was your favorite..."
"Sure is."
They chatted back and forth amiably before her father let them go about finishing. He ambled towards the living room and for a moment, Tifa had forgotten about the soldier.
"Tifa?" Her father called out to her from the hallway, drawing out the last part of her name.
She and Anya shared a look, staring at each other for a moment and then at the door. Tifa shrugged and went to see what her father wanted. Finding him standing just outside the living room door with a look of wary annoyance on his face.
"Why is there a lieutenant general in my living room?"
Tifa couldn't help it. The question combined with the befuddled look on his face was too funny. She laughed at him.
"Magic?" She replied with a little shrug, giggling harder at him when he gave her a stern look, "WHAT?...The world's a mysterious place, Dad."
"I'm serious."
"He had to make a phone call. Their satellite is down...and you should have seen what they gave him to wear in this weather. It was criminal. He was soaked and so downtrodden. I felt bad...so I kind of, sort of invited him to dinner...." She blurted out in one long breath.
"You invited him to din--" He paused in his outrage, realizing this was not the worst of her crimes. Stammering, he fumed, "Y-y-you let him call Midgar?! TEEF! THAT'S LONG DISTANCE!"
"We have a good plan..."
"That's not the point!"
"Yes, it is. We have an excellent plan, thanks to yours truly. So quit being a crank and go make nice with the lieutenant general. His name is Zack..."
"I know what his name is!!" her father snapped back, his arms folded and clearly in no mood to converse.
Her father had always had a dislike of Shinra that she didn't entirely understand. He'd sometimes slip and talk about something that happened a long time ago...when Shinra still had a strong affiliation with Nibelheim. And there were always the rumors that the old timers would talk about in hushed whispers. No body really talked about it specifically, but something horrible had happened then, something that broke any connection between the city and Midgar's number one corporation permanently. She'd always wondered why that abandoned mansion bore the Shinra name. But it was a question most kids in Nibelheim knew better than to ask about. No matter how curious they were. It was a fact of life. Just like you knew better than to climb certain peaks. You knew better than to ask about the Shinra mansion...and you most certainly didn't enter it. Something really terrible must have happened...and a ghost of her earlier foreboding brushed against her consciousness, and was just as quickly forgotten.
"Tifa, I need you back here!" Anya called from the kitchen.
Father and daughter shared a quiet look. He was still annoyed with her, but grudgingly.
"Gotta go....Dad....I..."
"Don't. It's just been a long day. I'm sorry I took it out on you."
"S'okay." She said, giving his arm a rub, "Tell me about it at dinner, kay?"
"Sure..."
"And Dad?"
"Yeah."
"Be nice to that soldier. He's not so bad. I think they might be stuck here awhile."
"I know."
"Dad...."
She looked at him strangely then. How did he know they'd be staying? Maybe Shinra had given him a call. He was their contact person in Nibelheim, so she guessed it made sense. Still, she got the feeling he wasn't telling her something and that reminded her of what she wasn't telling him. He looked at her expectantly, and she opened her mouth but found the words had lodged in her throat. It felt weird, not telling her dad something. Especially something so important but she had promised. Besides, it's only the winter blahs...and she tried to repeat that thought as a comforting mantra. It worked to a certain extent and she slowly closed her mouth and smiled.
"Anything wrong, kitten?"
"No...it's nothing, Da. Just...thanks..."
"For what?"
"For being my Dad."
She gave him another smile, weaker than the last. It felt so wrong, keeping this from him. But it was nothing. Just stupid...then why was she? Tifa pushed it all away and gave her dad a hug before lighting back into the kitchen. Anya had called for her again.
Dinner was served a few minutes later and at first, it had been awkward and uncomfortable. Her father had complained bitterly about all the trouble Shinra had caused them. Zack had taken it quietly, not saying a word in response. Knowing on some level, that'd just set the older man off, he was apparently smarter than he let on. Gradually, Tifa managed to steer the conversation away from Shinra and whatever call her father had received that had put him in such a foul mood. The lieutenant general helped by being extremely charming and eventually, her father warmed up to him. He'd talked about the places he'd been and the things he'd seen. He blathered on and on about his sweet little ex-girlfriend back in Midgar, giving Tifa and Anya a backhanded compliment, that their spaghetti was almost as good as hers.
Eventually, her father inserted himself into the conversation. Asking a bunch of questions about Wutai, and its prospect as a hot spot for tourism, he'd long thought about expanding his business to include other tour packages outside the Nibelheim area. Zack readily volunteered information, what little he knew. That Wutai looked to be a great prospective tourist trap and that it was a country in desperate need of foreign dollars. Aidan wasn't a greedy man, but he did have a mind for business and it was alight with ideas for a brand new enterprise. Sometimes he embarrassed her terribly, but Zack didn't seem to mind. In fact, he looked to be happy to be talking about almost anything.
He seemed to be the kind of person you could drop from a parachute into a foreign country and even if he didn't speak the language, he'd managed to befriend someone on charm alone. After that, they talked about sports...and that's when she stopped actively listening. It wasn't what she'd call perfect dinner conversation, nor was it the most comfortable gathering. But it had been nice. At the end of the evening, she had been pleasantly warm. There was something to be said about good food and good company.
Zack had made his phone call before he left. The look on his face told her that it wasn't good news. Apparently, they'd be stuck up here another week because Shinra couldn't spare the resources. Tifa had commented that it was utter bollox, and it had made him laugh. She'd seen to it that the lieutenant general was properly outfitted with one of her father's old coats. His was dry by now but inadequate and she would be damned before she sent him out there in that thing again to catch his death. Just as he was about to leave, her father had surprisingly invited him back, seeing as he was gonna be here for awhile and he nodded his agreement before wandering into the night.
And when she went to bed that night, she'd forgotten all about that one precise moment of dread she had. Letting her concern for people she barely knew overrule any doubt about their presence here, focusing instead on making their time in Nibelheim easier. She let herself drift off into pleasant sleep. Her mind straying past the hypnotic light of the stars that pooled in dappled patches through her window, wrapping her dreams around her like a downy comforter, she welcomed the darkness.
The sky above the tiny town had turned a crisp, midnight blue. This kind of night was rare in Nibelheim, a town almost perpetually shrouded in clouds. The heavens twinkled brightly in their bower. A single bright exclamation point strafed the sky, as a star tore its way to crash beyond the horizon. There was another night like this one, many years ago. Old timers remembered that night...the night that the devil came down from the mountain...but they'd say no more. Everyone knew what a clear night meant.
The pale peaks of the mountains twisted into the sky, piercing the dark blue like rows of jagged teeth. Looking into that sky, you could almost believe that the mountains might just devour the city if they had a mind to. But for the incredible stillness of the night...it was so peaceful but in that tranquility, was deception. In Nibelheim's heart this deception had been allowed to fester and rot, fostered by the superstitions of foolish old men and the bureaucracy of those younger than them. What should have been brought to light had been swept under the rug. The mountain had seen and it had heard, and it judged them guilty. The hammer came down swiftly and without warning, breaking the still night like shattered glass.
AUTHOR'S NOTES!
Well. Just a notice that there are perhaps three to four more chapters left. Just an FYI. This was originally a much longer chapter as I wanted to include several events in the thirteenth chapter. But alas, I got diarrhea of the word processor again and it was too long. Damn myself. Another update shall come soon. Until then!
Ciao!
Noa