Tifa stared at the girl standing where Aeris had been mere seconds before. No one moved for what seemed like an age. Even Cid seemed speechless, his cigarette dropping out of his mouth on to his placemat. Barret shattered the glass he was holding, sending wine and glass shards in all directions. Everyone instinctively ducked, and finally they felt able to speak.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Godo wanted to know.
"Where are we?" asked the three standing in front of them. Tifa thought she'd better take the initiative and so introduced herself.
"My name is Tifa Lockhart, and you're in the Pagoda belonging to Lord Godo Kisaragi of Wutai. Who are you and where do you come from?"
The taller girl spoke first. "My name is Rinoa Heartilly, and I come from Deling City. This is Selphie Tilmitt, an exchange student from Trabia Garden to Balamb Garden, and Zell Dincht, a SeeD from Balamb Garden."
Tifa saw Barret signalling her out of the corner of her eye, and turned back to the three. "Excuse me for a moment, please." The other girl nodded and Tifa rejoined those at the table.
"They're freakin' nuts!" Barret exclaimed in a whisper. "Seeds? Gardens? Next thing you know we'll be hearin' about the Great Big Plant in the Sky!"
"Give them a chance, Barret," Red XIII interjected calmly. "It's only natural that they're disorientated. They've been pulled out of their time into ours – of course they're confused."
"Hmph," was all Barret said in response.
Tifa looked up at the three who were also exchanging hasty whispers. Godo offered them a drink, which they gratefully accepted.
"I think we should find out more about their time," Reeve said. Tifa couldn't help noticing that he seemed to be making a point of not looking at the short girl. She was rather pretty, Tifa saw that immediately. She had sparkling emerald eyes, short flicky chestnut hair, a smile and a bounce in her petite frame, and pale skin dotted with freckles. Tifa had no more time to ponder this thought, though, because a ringing had interrupted all speech. Everyone looked round in confusion, including Godo. Finally something clicked in his eyes and he moved inside the time machine, pressing a button. Yuffie's face appeared on a screen in front of him.
"Yuffie!" Godo exclaimed. "Where are you? Are you all right? Are the others with you?"
"Yes, father, they're all here. We're in the future I think." Her face grew distant for a moment and her eyes flickered with fear. Zell thought she was beautiful in her vulnerability. "Is everyone else there?"
"We're here, along with people named Zell, Selphie and Rinoa. Does that sound familiar to the other people at your end?" Tifa asked.
"Yeah, that sounds like them." Tifa thought she heard whooping in the background. "See, the thing is… the doctor here thinks that we should only make on more transition. This world here looks so cool, and we don't really feel like leaving. So we thought maybe if you just send the others back… we can keep in touch using this, I promise…"
Tifa interrupted Yuffie's rambling. "Leave you there by yourself? Hardly. I'll take two others with me and we'll all come through. Sound good to you?"
"Cool. See you this end. Oh, by the way, apparently at some point in the future the entire race has to relocate to another planet. Might want to start working on that now. Maybe that was the purpose of this whole paradox thing. I think Red at least should stay that end, though. He founds an entire race by himself."
"Where are you getting all this stuff?" Tifa asked curiously.
"The doctor told us. He's excavating a planet next to this one and Tifa, I think it's ours. They're so alike… but they figure that the people must have moved here, because their history starts when ours stops."
"Okay. Well, we'll be through shortly." Yuffie clicked off and Tifa turned back to the others. "So… who wants to do what?"
"I'd better stay here. Ain't a man in the world can fly and create a rocket ship as good as I can," Cid said. "And if I'm stayin', Shera's stayin' with me."
"Someone has to look after Marlene," Barret responded. "And I've got a city to fund." Tifa said nothing about the fact that she thought him and Elmyra had something going on, but simply smiled.
"If I have a race to found, then by all means I should stay." Red XIII was as succinct and intelligent as usual.
"I'll come," Reeve volunteered. Tifa wondered if this had anything to do with the looks he'd been giving the short girl – Selphie.
"I suppose that leaves me as your other person, Tifa," Vincent remarked dryly. Rinoa blushed faintly – she'd rather hoped that this mysterious man would be joining them.
Tifa hugged Cid, Barret and Red XIII, shook hands with Godo, and entered the time machine. The others joined her after saying their farewells and they travelled to the time where their friends were waiting for them.