Another one, hehe!
Alright, so this is important. This chapter AND THE ONES FOLLOWING won't be making sense if you didn't read Journey of a Barmaid beforehand, so if you haven't given it a whirl yet, you should do so. Otherwise: enjoy :)
Reunion
The bar was quiet. Above her, the ceiling fans were spinning lazily in the wind wafting through the windows. The only sound was coming from the newspaper in front of her. The rustling of the pages reminded her of the autumn leaves back home. Tifa looked for something that might catch her eye, but everything seemed to be the same old in Edge.
She lifted her gaze to look at the calendar hanging on the far wall behind the bar.
It was already October.
Time sure flies these days, she thought while grasping the glass standing next to the newspaper. The reddish-brown liquid swished around as she lifted it to her lips. She closed her eyes as the taste of cherry, with just a hint of spice, filled her mouth, and she savored it just a little bit before swallowing. She had discovered this whiskey shortly after they had opened the new 7th Heaven and had instantly taken a liking to it. It reminded her of shortly after she had taken over the old bar and joined Avalanche. Back then she had tried to recreate an old Nibelheim drink, the Nibel Dragon Special, and had her friends taste test every attempt. She never had gotten it right, but it was still a memory that she liked to think back on.
Smiling, she placed the glass on the counter. It was past midday and she had just closed the bar until the late afternoon rush. She wasn't one to drink this early in the day to be honest, but she was in a reflective mood right now.
It had been October when she had found Cloud at the train station. She still remembered like it was yesterday. That mix of elation of seeing him again, and the anxiety upon their conflicting memories, her gut immediately telling her that something was wrong.
At the time she didn't even know the half of it.
But...he had come back into her life, and that was something she would be eternally happy about. It hadn't been easy, but she wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.
They were together, and that was what mattered.
Tifa smiled again while folding up the newspaper. Enough waxing nostalgic for today. She still had some work to do. She emptied the glass with one last sip, then walked behind the bar to put it with the rest of the dishes to be washed.
As she washed the dishes, Tifa went over a mental list of things they needed to stock up on. The Ghost Light Festival was still four weeks away, but it wouldn't hurt to get things in advance. Maybe she should ask Cloud to pick up some stuff?
A giggle escaped her, thinking back to the first few times she asked him to pick up stuff for her; he hardly had known his veggies, but had long since improved a great deal.
She had just placed one of the dishes to the side and moved on to the next, when the front door opened. Shoot, I forgot to lock the door again!
"I'm sorry, but we're closed. Please come back in a few hours," she said without looking away from what she was doing.
"And here I was hoping you would make an exception for an old friend." She nearly dropped the plate upon hearing a voice she hadn't heard in years now. Slowly looking up, she found none other than Dr. Hiragi standing near the door. Taking off his hat, the man gave her that kind smile of his that she had resigned herself to never see again.
"No..." she managed to put the plate back into the sink with shaking hands, then slowly walked out from behind the counter, her eyes never leaving the man for a second. "Nononono."
She had to be dreaming. This couldn't be real. As soon as she blinked he would be gone, like a desert mirage of wishful thinking.
Once she had stepped out to the front of the bar, Tifa couldn't stop herself anymore and ran towards him. He nearly toppled over backwards as she slammed into him, her arms moving around the man in a tight embrace.
He laughed and returned the hug. Tifa was trying and failing miserably to hold back her tears. The man that had become like another father to her was really standing in front of her.
They remained standing like that for a moment, simply holding one another, before Tifa stepped out of the hug. Taking a closer look at him, she noticed that his hair had become a bit more grey since she had last seen him.
"You've grown thin," she commented, brushing away the last of her tears.
"What can I say? Two years without your cooking does that to a man," he replied, and they both laughed at his little joke. But it lasted only a brief moment, as Tifa's expression soon grew serious.
"I've searched for you," she said. "But we only found your abandoned clinic. And after Meteorfall I was sure I would never see you again. Where were you?"
Dr. Hiragi inhaled deeply. "I think this is probably a conversation we shouldn't have standing in the doorway, don't you think?"
"Oh, yes! Of course," she said, feeling just a tad embarrassed. "Let's go upstairs."
Locking the front door, she led him to the private area above the bar.
"Would you like some tea?" she asked him as they entered the small living room, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. "I've got some Ryokucha."
He shot her a little grin as he sat down on the sofa. "Now how can I resist an offer such as this?"
"You can't," she quipped and went to make some tea. When she returned with two steaming cups, she noticed Dr. Hiragi looking around the room from his sitting position.
"Did you build this place yourself?" he asked her as she sat down next to him, offering her a 'thank you' when she handed him his cup.
"Yes. Well, we all did together. Cloud, Barret and I," she told him, taking a sip from her cup. "We've made some improvements over time. It used to look a bit more cobbled together."
"You've build yourself a fine home."
She chuckled. "It was Marlene's idea to open up a bar again."
"So, you're still taking care of her?" he asked.
"Yeah." Tifa nodded. "Her father has been helping to rebuild Corel these past two years and is otherwise busy with his new business."
"Oh, what does he do?"
"Well, aside from the Corel mines being opened up again they also started digging for oil. So he's usually making sure that everything goes smoothly with his claim," she explained to him. "He and some of the others have recently struck a deal with Reeve to sell him some of that oil."
"Reeve?" he asked.
"Oh!" She chuckled. "Reeve Tuesti. The head of the WRO. A friend of ours."
Dr. Hiragi looked at her in surprise. "My...you sure have made some friends in these two years."
"Let's just say we've traveled together. It's kind of a long story." Tifa shook her head and placed her cup on the table. A frown formed on her face. "...Where were you?"
He sighed and looked into his cup for a moment before speaking. "After what happened at Sector 7, I tried to find you, hoping that you might have gotten away, but when I saw the destruction with my own eyes..."
The man shook his head. "I returned back home when I realized that I couldn't do anything. Didn't treat any patients, and when Meteor appeared in the sky only weeks later I didn't see the point of staying any longer. I packed all my things and returned to Wutai. If the world was ending, I at least wanted to spend the rest of my time with family."
Tifa covered her eyes with her hand. Guilt gnawed at her for not having told him that she was alive, but everything had been going so fast, and then there was the issue with Cloud as well...
"I'm sorry," she breathed out, removing her hand to look at him. But he only smiled at her.
"Imagine my surprise when I heard you were one of the wanted Avalanche fugitives that had escaped from Junon." He chuckled. "I was halfway to Wutai when I saw it on the news."
"Ah..." Tifa took her cup and looked at the pale green liquid inside it. "So you know."
"Let's just say I wasn't exactly sure how I should feel at the time. On the one hand I was happy you were alive, but on the other I just learned you were part of the group that killed a lot of innocent people by blowing up the reactors." he released a shaky sigh at the memory. "For a time I was angry. At you, and me. I thought that perhaps I had done something wrong, because I didn't see how far your hate for Shinra went."
Tifa bit her lip. She had feared as much.
"I was never fully on board with the idea. I knew that saying 'pretty please' wouldn't help against people like Shinra." She shook her head. "But not like that. I just...didn't know what to do. And once the first bomb went off, there was no going back. We paid the price on the day Sector 7 fell. Jessie, Biggs, Wedge and so many innocent people are dead because of us. There's not a day that goes by where we don't try to make up for our mistakes."
A hand placed itself onto her shoulder and Tifa lifted her gaze to look at him once more.
"For what it's worth, I forgive you. But I'm a sentimental old fool," he said and sighed again. "And...I'm sorry about your friends. They seemed like good people to me."
"They were. Despite it all, they were trying to do good," she said.
"We've all made mistakes. The only thing we can do is move forward..."
"...And never forget," she finished his sentence, a small smile forming on her lips. "I know."
"Anyway," he said and took a sip of his tea. "After Meteorfall I was planning to see if I could help the people of Midgar, but before I could leave, Geostigma happened."
"You've been taking care of your people then?" she asked.
"Yes. And I did my own research on it as well. I would occasionally report my findings to a mutual friend of ours. The young Kisaragi heiress?"
She looked at him in surprise. "You know Yuffie?"
"Trust me. In Wutai, everyone knows her." He shot her a little grin. "Quite the personality, isn't she?"
"You can say that again." But she was also a great friend, who would have your back once you earned her trust.
"She clued me in that you were in Edge. Mentioned something about 'we gotta have another party at Spike's and Tifa's when we're done' to that pilot friend of hers when they picked up people to be taken to that healing spring in Midgar. After that, I packed up and came here." He shrugged. "You weren't hard to find, when I saw a flier with the name 7th Heaven on it I knew it was you."
"But Yuffie getting her people cured was months ago. Surely it couldn't have taken this long to travel?" she wondered out loud.
"Oh, I've been here for months now," he said it like it was nothing.
Tifa's eyes widened in surprise. "Why are you only coming over now, then?"
"I...think I needed some time to prepare. It's been two years and I wasn't sure if you even wanted to see an old coot like me again."
So she hadn't been the only one with doubts. Reaching out, she placed a hand on top of his. "I think I can make room for one more," she said teasingly.
He chuckled, but she could see in his eyes that he was grateful. Clearing his throat he continued. "And it takes a bit of time to get a place set up."
"Oh?" she looked at him quizzically.
"I've decided to open up another clinic here."
Immediately her face brightened. "That's wonderful!"
Edge might already have Dr. Drake and his clinic, but the town was growing fast, so more doctors in the area could only be beneficial.
"You already have an idea where you want to settle?" she asked.
"I actually do, yes. That vacant building down the street. The owner made a very good offer, too. I just didn't want to commit before talking with you."
"Well, no choice now!" she quipped, a feeling of excitement overcoming her at the prospect. It would be almost like old times. "I have to insist that you'll be eating your lunch here, though."
"Already trying to fatten me up again, are you?"
They laughed once more. But a small frown soon found its way back on her face. "But what about your patients back home?"
"I've trained my daughter-in-law these past years. She was more than ready to take over," he said before he held up his now empty cup, smiling. "More tea, perhaps?"
Tifa grinned. "Of course."
It was a few hours later, and Tifa was just recounting their group's misadventure in Wutai, when she heard the door opening downstairs and Denzel's voice call out.
"Tifa?"
"Upstairs!" she called back, and she saw Dr. Hiragi give her a questioning look. "Marlene isn't the only kid living here."
Two sets of feet could be heard walking up the stairs.
"You won't believe what happened to—" Marlene was saying, but came to an abrupt stop when Denzel and her had entered the room and spotted the unfamiliar man sitting on the sofa.
Denzel looked between Dr. Hiragi and her, unsure about this situation. Tifa rose to her feet and walked over to them, a smile on her face.
"This is an old friend of mine," she said to them and took both their hands to guide them to him. "Doctor, I'm sure you still remember Marlene?"
"Of course," he said, and leaned forward to take a closer look at her. "My my, you've grown since I've last seen you."
"You know me?" Marlene asked with a tilt of her head.
"Yes, I do."
Tifa could see Marlene narrow her eyes in the way she always did when she thought hard about something. But then, all of a sudden, her face lit up with recognition.
"You're that doctor from when I was sick!" she exclaimed with a grin.
"That I am!" Dr. Hiragi mirrored her expression with a grin of his own. Tifa moved to stand behind Denzel, who was shyly looking down at the ground.
"And this is Denzel," she said and placed her hand on both of his shoulders. A little smile formed on her lips. "My son."
The boy looked at her in surprise for a moment before his face brightened, and he, too, grinned at their visitor, looking just a tiny bit proud. "Nice to meetcha!"
Dr. Hiragi looked at her for a moment, before turning to face Denzel. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."
"Are you two hungry yet?" Tifa asked to which they only shook their heads.
"We just wanted to bring these back and go play with our friends." Marlene pointed at her backpack. "Can we?"
"Hmm." Tifa put a hand on her hip and lifted an eyebrow. "How much homework do you two have?"
"Just math today," Denzel said.
If Cloud was here he would say: "Well if it's just math then you can do it before playing." He could be surprisingly strict when he wanted to. Tifa, on the other hand, only insisted they do their homework immediately when it was way too much to put it off until the evening. She was soft like that, she supposed.
"Fine. But don't come back too late." The kids grinned and exchanged a high five, before running to their room. "And remember that we will check your homework!"
Chuckling, she shook her head and sat back down.
"Son?" Dr. Hiragi asked with an amused quirk of his eyebrow.
"Cloud found him wandering the ruins one day, sick with Geostigma. We've taken care of him ever since." And to this day she believed that Cloud finding him had been a gift from Aerith. He helped mend their strained relationship, if only for a bit. But she was sure they wouldn't be together today without him. She hesitated for a moment before adding: "He's a survivor from Sector 7."
"I see," he said, then offered her his kind smile. "I guess I'm not the only one that likes to help kids in need."
Tifa giggled. "I learned from the best."
The kids returned from their room to say a quick goodbye before heading out again.
"So Mr. Strife, huh?" he asked. "How is he, by the way?"
"He's doing good," she assured him. "He works as a courier."
"And I'm assuming you two are together?"
Tifa felt her cheeks growing warm and she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Uhm, we are, yeah."
He chuckled. "I'm not going to grill you. You're an adult woman and can make your own decisions. In fact, years ago I thought you and Mr. Wallace might be an item from the way you treated Marlene."
"What!?" Tifa looked at him with wide eyes.
"Now I know it was because of you being part of Avalanche, but what was I supposed to think back then?"
That was a good point, Tifa had to admit. She had pretty much taken over as a sort of mother for Marlene. She took a deep breath and shook her head, smiling.
They talked for a bit longer, before Dr. Hiragi started to rise to his feet. "Look at the time. I better get going."
"Yeah, I still have some more work to do," Tifa said, also getting up. She accompanied him downstairs and out the front door, where they shared another hug.
"The door is always open, so don't be a stranger!" she told him as she let go of him again. "I'll introduce you to Cloud, next time."
"I'll try to call next time, though," he said and put on his hat. Turning around, he walked down the street, and Tifa watched him for a moment, the smile never leaving her face. As she turned to walk back inside, she couldn't help the little spring in her step.
Just wait until Cloud hears about this! She could hardly wait!
I've been looking forward to this reunion for a long time, and especially the next chapter, which I will post relatively soon as well, so please look forward to it!
Until then: have a good one!
Read & review!