Wings of an Angel
By Henrika

Henrika-Tifa's side of the story. Another short chapter I'm afraid. And probably one that puts some lofty claims on cure materia, but forgive me my convenient plot devices. Darn, nearly posted late again! Bah! Enjoy and Review!

Tifa gasped as she woke, a mistake considering that she instantly inhaled a large mouthful of dirt. After coughing and spitting for what felt like entirely too long, Tifa managed to breathe clearly.

It was only then that she managed to evaluate her condition, a task made difficult by the hazy waves of pain that kept pushing her thoughts to the side. Her leg was obviously broken, the bone sticking out of her skin whiter than the sand. Her arm, though badly torn up, appeared to be otherwise unharmed. Her clothing had somehow remained completely intact, save for a tear that had almost completely ripped off the lower part of her skirt and another tear that had opened up part of her pouch. And her goggles were missing, knowledge reached when a sudden wind blew sand into her eyes.

It came back to her in a rush what had happened just before her accident, most rapidly Marlene's urgent phone call about Cloud.

How long have I been out? Tifa thought frantically, almost starting to her feet before she remembered her current condition. She took a deep breath. "Okay Tifa. Focus. You need to get back to Cloud and the others. And to do that, you have to get to your materia. And to do that, you have to move without passing out." She took another deep breath. "Right. Okay. Here goes."

She gritted her teeth and reached for her pouch with her good arm. She had Full Cure in mind, confident that it would even be able to set her bone back in place. Her hand was halfway there, the pain already starting to overwhelm her when she realized one crucial thing.

The materia was no longer in her pouch.

She fell back with a scream, knowing that all her healing materia had escaped from the ripped accessory. Frustrated tears slipped from her eyes, knowing that Cloud was suffering and knowing that she couldn't get to him. The tears blurred her vision, making the green glint shining in her eyes all the brighter.

Wait. What is that? Tifa scrubbed at her eyes and risked bending her body enough so that she could twist her waist around. Shimmering in the desert heat, the Full Cure materia lay a few yards from her, both gracious and taunting.

"All right Tifa. Cloud needs you to get him out of a jam. You can do this." Somehow the little pep talk restored her courage, almost as if someone she knew and trusted had been the one giving it to her. Tearing a shred of leather from her ruined pouch, the woman clenched it between her teeth before reaching out her arm and gripping the sand, heaving herself forward.

She clamped down on the leather, stifling a loud cry that still managed to echo through the now-empty desert. She reached out again and dragged herself forward, hearing a sickening squelching noise as the bone receded then pushed through her flesh again. She bit down harder on the leather, knowing that she would bite clear through it if the pain intensified.

Throwing herself in the right direction a few more times, she decided that the promise she and Cloud had made by the well years ago could and would work both ways. With a sudden burst of adrenaline at the thought of Cloud, Tifa yanked her body the last few feet and her hand clamped down on the viridian materia in triumph.

She knew the materia would drain her of most of her magic ability, but she was willing to take the risk if it meant she could be back on her feet and on her way to call Holy. She still hadn't thought of a way to do it, but some things had to come first.

"Full Cure!"

The brown haired woman watched in fascination as her bone withdrew into her body, the skin sealing behind it. The skin on her arm knit itself back together neatly and the fatigue and pain that had encompassed her world briefly faded into memory.

Shakily climbing to her feet, Tifa cautiously walked forward a few steps. Finding herself still standing, she slipped the materia into an un-ruined pocket and ran for Fenrir, never gladder in her life that the Planet had given them such useful gifts.

Wrestling the bike upright had her panting by the time she finally achieved the task, but she was suddenly grateful that Cloud had had the foresight to make sure the bike was built for sudden claw and fang attacks and unfortunate wrecks. Trained eyes glanced over the machine, finding little more than a tiny scratch. Flinging her leg over the seat, Tifa started the motor, delighted when it turned over immediately.

Kicking it into motion, she tried to gauge where she was. Edge was built on the edge of the Sector 7 ruins and she had been somewhere in the desert around the outskirts of Sector 6. Leaving Sector 5 and getting back to Seventh Heaven by way of the desert was quicker considering the amount of still un-cleared roads in Midgar, but time saving travelers paid the price with heavy monster attacks.

Sand flew behind her as she urged the bike on, the strange clenching in her heart letting her know she was headed in the right direction. The road was clear ahead of her, stray monsters too skittish to attack her again after seeing the damage she could do. Tifa pulled in sight of the town in record time and barely remembered to hit the kickstand as she jumped from the bike. It was as she raced for the door that she heard the screams.

That of a young girl and then of a boy. "Marlene!"

And from inside the house she heard the unmistakable noise of flapping wings.

She hit the door running, adrenaline giving her her own wings. She was going to make good on her promises, both the one made by the well and the forgiveness she had promised Cloud last night.

But Tifa had learned never to give up without a fight. And she wasn't going to keep her second promise unless she had to.

Henrika- Sleep now for Henrika. It's 3:26 am and I sooo should have gone to bed hours ago. Oh well. I think it was worth it to bring you guys the next chapter. Let me know if you liked it!