Again, I welcome you to the new chapter. Enjoy!
Bright Lotus: THANKJ00! Thanks a ton for pointing out the typo. Upon re-reading after that, I found a couple of other mistakes. Oh dear, I need to proof-read better. Embarrassed
Katori Tsubasa: THANKJ00! And you may be right on the money. You know Yuffie well.
Disclaimer: All characters and settings etc. are property of Square Enix.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chapter 4: The Reunion
"Don't worry. I won't tell Tifa!" Marlene had joked. She kept her word.
Tifa took a deep breath, closing her eyes, her hands and feet moving to a fighting pose. She opened her eyes, and leapt at the target. The training dummy came under a flurry of feet and fists, the tightly packed straw flying in all directions. She had transformed the bar's basement into a training room for former members of AVALANCHE. Her raven-black hair whipped around in all directions as the fierce martial artist pummelled the dummy. As she jumped into the air for one last kick, her boot connected and sent the head flying into the wall. She landed gracefully, and then dropped her shoulders in mock disapproval. "Aww, I'm going to have to buy another one now!" she said, sniggering quietly. She heard the bell on the door upstairs ringing. Leaping to the ladder from halfway across the room and scrambling up to see Marlene's overjoyed face. "Cloud is back!" Marlene screamed. Tifa took the girl's hand and dashed in the direction of the church about twice as fast as she had moved when practicing. She knew he'd go to the church. She didn't know why, just that he'd be there.
Tifa burst into the Church to see Aerith and Cloud sitting next to each other on the front pew, gazing at the shimmering flowerbed, her head on his shoulder. "Ae-" Tifa stuttered, shocked. Aerith turned round and looked at her, smiling. "Hello again, Tifa." Tifa walked forward to face her. "But you- you-" Before she noticed Aerith glancing at Cloud, who seemed to be contemplating something. Tifa smiled and looked away. "Good old Cloud." She said, nervously. She was standing here, talking to someone who had been killed 4 years ago. "Is this… is this real?" Tifa gasped. Aerith put a hand to Tifa's shoulder. "Yes." That was all the confirmation Tifa needed. A tear came from her eye, and she threw her arms around Aerith's neck. "It's good to see you again." Tifa said to her old friend. Aerith simply smiled, arms around Tifa. They let each other go, and Tifa went round to Cloud, who had by now left his trance and had been watching the two friends meet again. He was smiling too.
"Welcome back, stranger." Tifa said to Cloud, hugging him hard. She then proceeded to move away a couple of steps, breathing hard. She then darted forward and slapped him round the cheek. Aerith moved to help him, but Cloud simply put out a hand to stop her. She then moved to help the sobbing Marlene, who had previously been playing with the flowers. "You just upped and left, Cloud!" Tifa shouted, eyes watering. "A year! I've waited for a whole… damn… year." She stopped, and collapsed onto Cloud, hitting his chest lightly. "A whole goddamn…" Cloud stopped her. "I'm- I'm sorry. I… had to go." He tried to explain. Tifa rose, nodding. "I know, Cloud. Welcome back." Her voice quivered, shoulders rising and falling quickly. Cloud rose and took her phone from her pocket. "Hey, what are you doing?" She asked incredulously. Cloud smiled ever so slightly. Aerith and Marlene watched him quizzically. He pressed a couple of buttons and a beep came from the phone. He turned it round to show the girls. They huddled round to see what it said.
"Signal sent to group: AVALANCHE."
"You devil, Cloud." Tifa laughed, only a faint hint that she had been crying was left on her face. "Sorry, Aerith." Cloud smiled at her as she ran to kiss him on the cheek, hugging him.
They all arrived at the same time, wondering why Tifa had sent out a distress beacon from the least distressing place in all of Midgar. Nevertheless, they ran and threw open the doors, only to stop inside the archway. Aerith turned to face them, looking completely innocent. "Oh, hello, would you like to buy some flowers? She asked, still looking completely nonchalant. "Is that-" Barret whispered, before being loudly interrupted by a scream of "Aerith!" from Yuffie, who was now charging directly for Aerith. She leapt at the girl who was no longer holding the flowers, but laughing with joy. The force of Yuffie's jump knocked Aerith off her feet, and Yuffie hugged her, bouncy as ever. Yuffie flipped up, jumping for joy, then stopped, looking at the faces of the rest of AVALANCHE. "Well, come on, you guys!" They quickly obliged, all dashing for Aerith, who was now standing. All except Cid and Vincent. Cid knew she was back, and Vincent did also. They watched on, both smiling, Cid broadly and Vincent perhaps just a tiny curl at the edge of his mouth. They went and found Cloud, Tifa and Marlene behind the left-hand door and Vincent said a quick "Well done." To Cloud before walking briskly over towards Aerith, who was being mobbed by the former members of AVALANCHE.
Nanaki looked older now, more flecks of grey in his still rather glorious mane. His tail burned brightly. His tribe was coming back to its old self, hundreds of his kind all around Cosmo Canyon. There was a memorial to Bugenhagen in the middle of the town now. His star-gazing equipment was kept in pristine condition. Every night, Nanaki would go down the cave to see his petrified father. It was a sign of respect which his father appreciated, or so Aerith told him. The tattoo remained on his side.
Barret was still the same loud, brash, gun-arm-toting environmentalist and adoptive father of Marlene he had always been. He ran a large oil company based in Shinra's old headquarters. "ECOil Corp." He had called it, partly because he felt it had a ring to it, but mainly to spite Shinra. Somehow, despite his busy schedule, he always found time to travel to the desert outside Corel Prison to pay his respects to Dyne. Someone once told him he could get a new hand. He stared at the gun where his arm was for some time. He had declined the offer. It was a mark of his past. He couldn't erase that.
Yuffie retained her energy two years on. She was the head of the Kisaragi Dojo in Wutai. She even had her own very extensive material collection. It was not so much a tourist town as Shinra made it, now being generally devoted to its monks and warriors. She couldn't stop looking at Vincent, but she didn't know why. She was beginning to ponder her sanity, looking at Vincent like that. She was still a thief, but more a Robin Hood type. Perhaps it was being around AVALANCHE.
Vincent was in a dilemma. Could he finally let Lucrecia's memory go? Let it go, to answer Yuffie's advances? He would like to, but Lucrecia and Hojo kept on coming back to haunt him. He would battle them in his mind. He had been wandering around Gaea for half a year now, wraithlike, effusive. He could have been a mercenary, but he decided that didn't feel right. He was a vigilante of sorts. He and his tri-barrelled pistol were faithful to each other. He had almost learned to control the transformations in times of stress. He found out about Aerith coming back by just peeking around the Forgotten City one night. But for the moment, he had Yuffie on his mind.
Reeve had left the group after the Kadaj incident, deciding he wanted to settle down and live a 'real' life, as he called it.
But for now, Aerith was back, the friends were reunited once again. They slept deeply that night, after spending the evening in the church, talking to each other. Cloud and Aerith went to the roof without anyone noticing. They kissed again.
They slept soundly, but were rudely awakened.
Little did our heroes know of the journey that awaited them.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Katori Tsubasa gets a cookie.
Enjoy, please R&R.