Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter's short. The next one might be longer. Either way, we're getting fairly close to the end. Just a few more chapters to go.

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just anything outside of the game I own…Like this chocolate with caramel filling! Yummy! ^.^

Part 17

"They say the Lifestream is the spiritual energy that circles the planet, giving and taking life during its time. Little do people know that it has a heart."

-Selena Talos

'Click, click, click'

Her heels spurred into the concrete and she glanced up at a massive edifice that seemed to touched the sky. She stopped and kept her eyes fixated on the building. From one of the windows, stories up, she could see a ghostly white face staring back down at her.

"Artemia…" she growled through her teeth.

Then suddenly…

'BAM'

A fist collided with her face and sent her sprawling feet away. Selena rolled a couple of times until she lay flat on her stomach. She coughed a couple times and tried to shake of her dizzy spell, but by then, the same hand that had dealt the damage grabbed her by her locks and wrenched her upright.

Blue-green irises collided with a lovely chocolate.

Selena's brows furrowed out of surprise, pity and hurt as she breathed "Tifa…"

Those chocolate eyes darkened with an unsaid fury as the bar tender seethed "How dare you think you can take Cloud from me?"

"Tifa…Tifa, stop! This isn't you-Argh!!!!"

The bartender smashed Selena's face into the ground with a brutal thrust. Golden blood seeped from the goddess's lips as she coughed, but Tifa's crushing grip did not cease.

"Ti…Tifa…I can't…I'm not going to fight you…" Selena gasped as she began to push against Tifa's pressure. For a human, the bar tender was strong…In fact too strong. It was as if someone had increased her strength tenfold.

Before she could be crushed into the already dented ground, Selena's hand shot forth and gripped Tifa's wrist, wrenching it away. In the process, a lock of hair was pulled out.

The goddess hissed with pain as she scrambled away. She ran a hand over the bare sore spot on her head and healed it, replacing the lost lock instantly.

"Alright, it looks like I can't evade this battle…Tifa…Though we may not have been the best of friends, I want you to know that I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? If you apologizing for trying to take Cloud away, I'm not accepting."

Selena crossed her arms and laughed darkly "Who said I was apologizing for that? I'm just apologizing for kicking your sorry ass!"

Both ladies squared off and Selena pounded her fist into her palm, tilting her head slightly.

"Let's dance!"

Tifa broke from her stance and made a 'bee' line for the blonde. Her glove clad fist hurled forth, but Selena caught it and yanked her forward to send her sprawling.

The blonde smirked at the brunette, shaking her head.

"To think us grown women are fighting over a guy! Shouldn't we be slapping and trying to claw each other's eyes out?"

Tifa got to her feet and glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

"I might have considered that at one point, however…Cloud's no ordinary guy…In fact, I'll make you suffer for hurting him!"

"Hurting him? What did I do?"

The women faced off again and the brunette rushed the goddess. Selena moved back, blocked and leapt back as furious fists and feet whipped at her with expertise.

"It was your fault he joined SOLDIER!!!!! He was so hell bent on trying to make himself worthy in your eyes that he went all those experiments!!!!! All the pain and torture and shame of SOLDIER!!!!! But you never cared, even after he nearly got himself killed in the Mako Reactor!!!!" Tifa screamed at her before performing a round house kick. Selena brought her forearm up and blocked.

She was angry now.

"How dare you say such a thing! Before you go labeling false shit about me, let's take a look at you 'oh Miss-Perfect'! For as long as I've known Cloud, he was always alone. In fact, I think I was his only friend until you decided to stick your nose in! I never supported his choice on going to SOLDIER, in fact, I tried to get him to stay! However, his mother and 'Tifa' were with him the whole way! I don't think you even tried to talk him out of it!" she snarled, grabbing Tifa's ankle and giving it a yank forward. Tifa gasped as she was pulled into a forceful split.

Selena let go and viciously took her by the front of her shirt.

"And let me tell you something else smart ass, I loved Cloud dearly. If he had asked me to marry him, then I would have accepted, even if he didn't join SOLDIER…Dear god, I nearly killed myself after what happened at the Reactor!"

She flung the bartender away with a brutal swing and turned her back on her. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she marched way, head held high. Tifa slowly sat up, shuddering breaths escaping past her lips and she glanced at the distant being before her.

She understood now why Cloud had been so keen on marrying Selena all those years ago.

The way she fought so fiercely for him and the way she had been so open with him. She never pushed him to be something else and regardless of what others had thought, she loved him all the same. It was as if Cloud's only sanctuary could be found within Selena's mind, body and soul.

A sanctuary was something Tifa could never hope to be to him and that realization hurt all the more. Thus the spell was broken.

Tifa got to her feet, dusting herself off and called out "Selena!"

The blonde stopped and turned to glance at her. Tifa jogged up to her and stopped. They stared each other down for a brief moment and finally, Tifa held out her hand to her.

"Alright, the better woman won this round. If next time should occur, I'll win for sure."

They shook hands and Selena grinned cockily.

"Don't bet your life on it. Now, if you're coming along, let's go. Just do me a favor…"

"Yeah?"

"Since things might get rough, take the children and get out of there as quickly as possible…In fact, I may need you to evacuate the city."

They looked each other in the eye and Tifa nodded.

"Done."

Barren wasteland…

"Dear gods! That run better have been… worth the effort of…getting your dumb ass here!"

Cloud sat back on the panting Wolf Summon's back and glanced up at the darkening sky.

"Tch…I told you before to take me to my bike and you wouldn't have had to run all this way! But did you listen to me?-Whoa!"

'thud'

Sigmund shifted into his human form and glared down at the now usurp Cloud. Sigmund flexed his hand menacingly before snarling "if you don't stop with the cocky attitude, I'm gonna put you out of your misery here and now! And you can forget about Shibuki or Faera coming to save you! We lost 'em along the way."

Cloud got to his feet and dusted himself off, stretching every so often to relieve his cramped muscles.

"Damn it…Ugh…Huh? What the hell?"

Both of them glanced up to see Cid's airship hovering towards them and a ladder dropped.

Sigmund looked from Cloud to the airship, then let loose a low whistle.

"It's that strange bird again. Do you think your 'Cid' is on it?"

Cloud gave a nod and moved towards the ladder. He motioned for Sigmund to follow and both clambered their way on. Within minutes, they were aboard and the crew members scrambled to help them. Not liking all the human contact, Sigmund transformed into a small version of his true form and padded after the spiky blond as they made their way to the large cockpit.

When they entered, they were greeted by brief swearing and the scent of cigarette smoke.

"God dammit Cloud! You had everybody worried sick, especially poor ol' Tifa-" Cid snapped at him, but Cloud interrupted.

"Tifa?...Shit…Cid, step on it!" he barked out urgently, but the chain smoking pilot just looked at him oddly.

"Huh? Alrigh' have it your way! Full speed ahead!"

Hundreds of boot clad feet scrambled about the ship and everyone was in position. The airship raced forward to their destination.

Author Note #2: Sorry if the fight scene wasn't wonderful and a seriously have nothing against Tifa. This is just how all the events worked out in my quirky little mind. Until next time!