Trapped by myself
Chapter 2
Tifa sped to the outskirts of the city and kept going after parking her bike she was deep in thought while walking when she stooped she realized she was in the city of the Ancients.
"Vincent." Tifa called out and in an instant a red caped man was standing in front of her.
"Remember when you said to bring an ancient back we need a human exchange and well you looking at that person." She said in a determined voice.
"Tifa that's not wise, are you sure everyone will agree, are you sure Cloud will agree." he said.
"That's why I'm doing it; he would rather her than me." She said raising her voice and muttered a quick 'sorry' to Vincent.
"I will not stop you as it's not my choice." He said then pulled out the holy Materia.
"I got this out in case someone would step forward, little did I know it would be you, but we have one problem, we need to bring Aerith's body from underwater or she would just die and it would be a waste of two lives." He said walking over to the pool where her body rested.
"Her corpse wouldn't have decayed as Ancients bodies stay the same for all eternity unless burned." He said.
"I can't touch the water as my soul isn't pure." He said.
"But yours will do fine." he said extending a hand to indicate he will help her in. Tifa took it and stepped in the water she was surprised when the black water turned white at her step, she looked up at Vincent and he smiled. Her jaw dropped and she looked back at the water.
"What's going on?" she asked him.
"You will find out soon enough." He told her letting go of her hand. Tifa held her breath and went under water, but she didn't have to it felt like air, like she was swimming in air she took a breath and was able to breath. She swam down and saw plants and vines growing on something. She pulled it off and saw Aerith's body lying there peacefully. She pulled her from the wrist and pulled the body over her shoulder. Tifa used one hand and kicked a hard as she could until her face met the surface of the water. She pulled Aerith's body to the ground and looked at her body, she looked as if she was in a slumber, her body was cold and pale, but she still looked happy. Tifa smiled and stood up she realized her body wasn't wet and neither was Aerith's.
"It's time." He said and Tifa nodded. Vincent had told her what to do and Tifa stood up holding Aerith's body up with her. Aerith's head lolled and Tifa made it rest on her own head.
"Ok now." She said and instantly Vincent through the Materia to where Aerith and Tifa's heads connected. In a flash of blinding light a scream followed by all of her memories were seen including the most recent ones of herself and Cloud. Vincent wasn't to judge Cloud on what he saw and stood back as the blinding light burned his skin.
Cloud had followed Tifa and watched everything, he didn't understand what was going on until he heard a scream, it sounded like Tifa's he moved forward, but still out of sight.
"No." he whispered then was horrified understanding that Tifa was going to revive Aerith.
"NO." he shouted louder and Vincent turned around looking at Cloud Vincent only shook his head and stood back as the light died out. Tifa's body fell to the floor and Aerith was staring down on it her eyes were wide with fear.
"Vincent how could you let her so this." She said picking up Tifa's body.
"Now only she can bring herself back." She said and saw Cloud a smile broke on her face. She let Tifa's head drop on the floor not even realizing that if Tifa was alive it would have hurt. She ran into Cloud's arms and kissed him on the lips. Cloud did not return it instead he smiled and pushed her away walking over to Tifa's body. The same guilt he had for Aerith returned only it was for Tifa. He began to cry, tears streamed from his eyes.
"What have I done?" He said clutching her body tightly and was shocked. Tifa's body was warm as if she had life he turned to Aerith and Vincent.
"What's going on?" he asked them his throat was dry from the tears that were running down his face. He realized that some were not his, some were Tifa's.
Tifa felt a surge of electricity going through her body. She shut her eyes and couldn't open them.
"What's going on?" she thought to herself and as soon as she said that she felt her eyes fluttered open. She was in a small white room with pictures of the past and two doors one she had realized the other was white so it looked like part of the wall. The pictures weren't pictures she had taken, the were pictures of her battling, of all of them including Aerith, and then right there was a large picture that mocked her it was a picture of Cloud and Aerith they looked happy and two children around them. The children didn't look familiar although they resembled Cloud and someone else, not Aerith. She read the text underneath the picture. 'Father: Cloud Strife, Mother: Aerith G. Strife, Daughter: Ilfana Strife, Son: Kira Strife.' Tifa stood their shocked.
"He would dwell on her, but he doesn't even care for me." She said tears streaming down her face. She didn't know the same thing was happening in the world of the living.
"If they have children, that must mean time goes by faster there." She said and looked at the picture she had anger running through her and the picture changed. Everyone stayed the same except for Aerith; she was replaced by a beautiful girl with raven black hair it was herself, she was looking at a picture of herself. Maybe that's why the children didn't resemble Aerith, they resembled herself and Cloud.
"What does this mean?" she said to herself and felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Why did you do that Teef?" said the person holding on to her shoulder. Tifa recognized the voice and turned around slowly. She saw Zack looking at her he shook his head and stared at her two people looking standing further behind him. One was a woman who looked like Aerith and the other was an old man. The only man spoke his voice was deep, but it made Tif feel at peace.
"Young lady this isn't your place, it wasn't your time to pass on, that's why you are stuck here, the sacrifice was supposed to be of a person who was about to die, that Vincent didn't tell you that." He said Tifa was horrified and shook her head.
"No he didn't, no need to be rude, but who are you?" she asked them.
The man chuckled and looked at her smiling.
"This is Ilfana, Aerith's mother, and I am Kira I am the Ancients elder." He said smiling.
"Tifa my dear, these picture are the key to you going back to Cloud, they are the pain and happiness in your heart, they are the 'holes' that you dug so deep and have forced you to do this." He said. "We have to go now; it's all I can say."
"Wait, how can I contact the living, the same way Aerith would contact Cloud?" she asked him remembering Cloud telling her about it.
"Turn around." He said Tifa spun around to a door and opened it.
"You have a certain amount of time or you can never speak to them again, two hours only." He said and waling away. "Wait don't leave me alone." She said.
"Were not Zack is going to stay, he's going to assist you, and so will we, we will come back later to check on you." He said and vanished while Ilfana smiled.
"I see what Aerith meant when she said she was jealous of you." He said a smile on her face before vanishing herself. Tifa stood shocked. "That's unlike Aerith I thought I was jealous of her." She said to Zack who smiled and shrugged. "Well go one, talk to your friends, they took your body to the bar, they have all grouped there and are talking about what happened I'll come with you." He said and held her hand as they stepped through the door. Tifa felt as if people threw egg yolks on her and it was gone as instantly as it came. "You'll get used to it" he whispered as they stepped into a dark room which turned into the exact image of the bar, and there on the couch was her body, resting on Clouds lap while the other stood watching. The all turned around at the feeling of a white light burning them and were shocked.
"Did you miss me?" she asked them smiling.
"Tifa!" Shouted Marlene who ran to Tifa to try to touch her, but Zack stood in the way and Marlene bumped into him.
"Hey what's the big idea?" She said rubbing her head. Zack shook his head and ruffled the girls head.
"I'm sorry, but you guys can't touch Tifa, unlike me she hasn't passed on yet and can still be brought back, but if you touch Tifa both of you will be taken to the promise land, I'm sure they don't want that." He said smiling to the little girl. She turned around and looked at Cloud pain was gleaming thorough the girls eyes.
"It's your entire fault Cloud; if it wasn't for you I would have still had a mommy." She said crying and running upstairs Denzel gave Cloud a cold look and ran upstairs behind her the sound of a door slamming was heard and he knew that they didn't want to talk to him.
"Marlene." Tifa spoke her voice was different it echoed around the walls and everyone looked at her pain in their eyes.
"Tifa why did you do it?" they asked her.
"Because I wanted Cloud to be happy, I wanted him to have what he truly desires and I know it wasn't me I knew it was Aerith." She said looking away. Everyone gave a sideways glance at Cloud and looked back at Tifa, they all had the same thoughts, and she was selfless, always trying to make others happy in the expense of her own happiness, only this time it was at the expense of her own life. Vincent stood up and looked at Tifa. "I know how to bring you back, but it's not easy." He said. "The real ritual is to wait till Tifa's body decays and her soul will unite with her body once again then use the holy materia to bring her to this world, only which will take too long." He said.
"Tifa when you stepped into the water do you remember what happened?" he asked her and was satisfied when she nodded.
"The black water turned white, as if it was purified." She said shrugging.
"Exactly, Tifa you are the key to all of this, you are the one who can take darkness away from this world." He said.
"Uh Cloud did that by defeating Sephiroth." She said.
"Maybe, but the black Materia still exists and as long as it does, there will always be evil out there." He said.
"I thought it was destroyed after meteors destruction." She said checking the time and realized she had enough time.
"No the black materia wasn't destroyed and to bring you back we have to have you and Aerith stand together we will fuse both the black and holy materia together." He said.
"It will be the ancient materia, it will take Aerith back to the Promised Land and Tifa will be brought back here." He said finally and Cloud stroked Tifa's hair looking down and then up at her soul. We will bring you back we just have to Tifa I miss you." he said standing up placing Tifa's head on the couch before moving towards her soul.
"Tifa I realized something now, when you left I knew that I was wrong." He said.
"I…" but Tifa put her hand up signaling him to stop.
"Not now, now when I am like this, when I'm back." She said smiling and looking at Zack.
"I'll be back to check on things, but in the mean time Zack will keep me company in the other world." She said but before she could step away Barret got up.
"Tifa you still didn't explain to us how your body is changing its emotion and why you would do this to Marlene and Denzel?" he asked her.
""I left because I thought Aerith would be a better mother." She said shyly.
"As for your other question I don't know." Aerith looked at Tifa and sighed, she felt sorry that Tifa felt that way, but Aerith knew that Tifa had something different that maybe she was also a great mother. She then finally spoke up.
"I can explain." Said Aerith getting up and walking to Tifa's body.
"If your soul cries then your body does, it's because you're not dead, you're trapped in a place that separates the living and the dead world." She said watching as Tifa's eyes fell. "Tifa cry." She said. Tifa felt all the tears she was holding pour out instantly and her body did the same, tears were coming down her bodies' cheek.
"You have a pulse because you're not dead, you're stuck, and you can't get out because it's not your time to go, not yet at least." Said Aerith then touched Tifa's hand who jerked away. "Why haven't we passed on you just touched me?" She said. "Because I'm supposed to be dead, but it's not that simple even if Cloud stabs me I can't die, unless you should pass on then I can die or until your soul comes back." She said Tifa looked at Aerith and smiled. "I better go now, or I can never come back, see ya." She waved and stepped near the light.
"So Tifa you're not in the Promised Land?" asked Yuffie who had finally spoken up.
"No I'm in this small room with two doors, one that leads here and the other I haven't looked into yet." She said and gasped. It's what she always thought of herself to be trapped in only this time it was literal.
"And you won't until you're ready." Said Zack.
Cloud looked at Tifa he still looked upset.
"Hey don't blame yourself; I am the one to blame not you so cheer up." She said smiling and turned around stepping through the light Zack right behind her. Once again she was back in that same room she faced the other door
"What's in there?" she asked him looking at the door.
"It's the easy way out Tifa; I recommend you don't use it." He said with a serious tone. Tifa understood what he meant; it was the way to eternal happiness, the Promised Land. Tifa looked at a mirror in a corner and walked over to it, Tifa raised an eyebrow wondering why there was a mirror. When she looked in her reflection wasn't there, but instead the image of her friends on Cid's airship Shera. They didn't seem too happy and she wondered why.
Cloud was holding Tifa's body and Aerith was looking down on it then back up at Cloud. That's when Cloud looked up and Tifa's eyes widened. Instead of seeing the eyes of a heartless man, Tifa saw tears running freely down his face, Tifa couldn't help but smile. He grieved over Aerith, but never cried for her, and here he was shedding his tears for her that's when she had to speak. She didn't expect him to hear, but when he looked up she knew that he heard her although Aerith didn't.
"Don't cry for me Cloud." She said smiling.
"Don't blame this on yourself, the guilt in your heart only makes things worse for everyone, be strong we will meet again, I promise." She said a tear slipped from her eyes.
"If only you were here right now." He whispered.
"I am, I'm closer than you think." She said and turned to Zack.
"I feel like there will be a fight." She said.
"I think so too." He replied.
(Is it better or worse, please review and criticize if you wish, just nothing dumb if you get what I mean constructive criticism)