Chapter 3- The Locked Heart

"Ding!" The sounding of the bell meant that Tifa's session was up. The noise shocked her, since she was deep in her own recollections. "Was that all the time I get?" Tifa asked. "Yes, it is.", Haros said. "I usually charge a fairly high rate for my services, but I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm not going to charge you a single penny, because I know you and you know me." Tifa cocked her head slightly in a flirtatious fashion as she replied, "Oh really? You don't look like anyone I know." Haros held back a laugh as he explained "Isn't it amazing what the wonders of cosmetic surgery can do?" Tifa seemed to light up like a firecracker when she queried, "Are you Vincent?"

"No. But I am curious about why you ask that. Is Vincent missing?" Tifa lowered her head and answered, "Yes. He left Midgar recently, but I've received no word from him." Haros' mind harkened back to the memory of Vincent. He was so dark and intense, and his red cape was so intriguing that it left Haros with the thought that the two of them could have been good friends in any world other than this. Haros had a few ideas about where Vincent might be, but couldn't be sure. With the career that he was now in, there would be time for no more adventures.

As Tifa turned to leave, Haros asked, "Can you come back for a second?" As Tifa turned back around, Haros continued, "I was greatly disturbed by the reaction that you had today in connection with the peanuts. Have you been previously diagnosed with a food disorder, or any type of mental affliction?" Tifa's half-hearted smile quickly turned into a frown as she snapped back, "I'll have you know that firstly, my medical record is as clean as a whistle, and secondly…"

Tifa stopped in midsentence and firmly pushed her large breasts upwards with her hands, and continued, "…why would I mess up my eating habits when these are at stake? Do you have another patient waiting, or can I rant about this for a second?" Haros was taken aback by Tifa's sudden burst of attitude, especially after her fear of the same subject earlier. Haros answered, "I have plenty of time." Tifa wasted no time giving Haros a piece of her mind.

"Sir, let me ask you, what do you think is the number one question that everyone asks me?" Haros quickly guessed, "Is it 'What is your bra size?'" Tifa pointed a skinny yet powerful finger in Haros' face as she replied, "You're absolutely correct. It's never 'How are you doing?' It's always 'Are those real?' They most certainly are, but I wasn't aware that it was the world's business. And can you imagine the trouble I have finding a well-fitting bra? It's always too small or too big, too free or too restricting, too poorly made or too expensive. Do you understand what I have to go through every time a man walks past me on the street? And to think, I never got a choice in the matter! And don't think that I can just hire a bodyguard, because they're guys too. They couldn't protect me from themselves. But do you know what the worst thing is? Do you want to know which question hurts the most and cuts the deepest?"

Haros asked, "What is it?" Tifa's lips trembled as she began to cry. Through a slow trickle of tears, she replied, "I worked hard for my bar. I worked forever as a tour guide to raise up enough money to buy out the 7th Heaven bar. I lived through the financial experience of trying to import expensive beers and wines from other lands while paying that jerk Cloud Strife an exorbitant salary to join Avalanche. I busted my ass just to live through the adventure, only to see a good friend die.

I got calls from Playboy, Maxim, FHM, SI Swimsuit Edition, and plenty of Midgar and Nibelheim magazines. I turned them all down. I told them all, "I just don't feel comfortable being on the cover of your magazine. To do so would be a bad example for young girls all over the world." And do you know what people still tell me to this day? They look at my body and say, "You are such a bad example for my children." Why? Because I have boobs? I never got a choice.

I always hear other women say that I'm destroying the cause of the Women's Liberation Movement. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the point of that movement was to liberate themselves from restrictions, so that they could have the freedom to do things like that. Always remember this: when the people out there play our game, they can do whatever they want to with us, but I'm not responsible for them, I can only answer for me. And when they aren't playing, we live our own real lives, in which I am a model citizen. But what do I know? I'm just a remnant."

Haros' ears perked up at the sound of those familiar words, and he continued, "…of Mother's Mimetic Legacy?" "No, I meant that I'm a remnant of what I used to be." It took Tifa a while for the thought to click in Tifa's mind that she had heard those words before. Haros tried to change the subject as he asked, "How is Cloud doing?" Tifa turned away from Haros as she answered, "Cloud and I are divorced, so I wouldn't know. Living with him was like having my feet on an iceberg and my head in hell. Just look at this."

Tifa lowered the top of her shorts slightly, exposing a vicious scar in the shape of a sword blade directly above her most private of places. Haros grimaced as Tifa explained, "I can never have children, sir. Is that my own personal scarlet letter? Cloud told me it was. He told me that every morning. I swear, I was completely ignorant of my own power when he was around. I am a master of fighting, so why did I not fight back sooner? Why am I still scared, even now?"

By the time that Tifa had finished, she was staring at Haros' door, hoping that there was a clue to his identity within his new name. Suddenly, she spotted the clue that she was searching for. Noticing that Tifa had figured out the riddle, Haros, a.k.a. Dr. H. Torihpes, asked, "What does H. Torihpes spell backwards?" Tifa had trouble finding her breath, but finally uttered his true name: "Sephiroth."