"DAMN IT!", I yelled landing on my bedroom floor with a thud. Of all the times in front of all the people…………
Sunlight? The sounds of birds chirping in the morning caused me to look around. It had all been a dream. Tifa never entered my room last night. All a dream. Or was it a fantasy? Was it lust or love that drew me to Tifa like this? I know we are best friends, it just seems weird. Like she wanted to be closer but was afraid too. Other times Tifa seemed distant from me. It's only been a day since we re-met although it seemed like this was the way she acted all of our lives. I pondered this as I got ready for the day. When I walked downstairs I was hit with the smell of food cooking.
"Hey Teef.", I said walking into the kitchen and seeing her cooking again. "Tifa do you always slave away this early?", I asked jokingly.
She shot me a grin, "No. Just when it us Cloud. Or when I feel like it."
"'Us'? You mean as in you, me, and Vincent?"
"No, Vincent left last night before we got back. He does this often. Comes and goes as he pleases.", she said sitting down at a nearby table and gesture I do the same.
I took a bite of the food Tifa had prepared, "So where are we going now Tifa?", I asked.
"We're going to try and go the same route we took last time when everything happened. You might need a stronger weapon than your buster blade too.", Tifa said.
"Where? I think it would be hard to find one.", I said. Tifa smiled.
"Cloud you are a mercenary. OK? You protect this town from hoards of monsters. You have stronger swords.", she said. "I took the liberty of getting one of your favorites from the cellar.", Tifa continued nodding towards the wall behind me. I look back and see a large broad sword with a gold tinted hilt.
"Ragnorak?", I said mindlessly. "It's my Ragnorak. I remember it a little.", I said as a few memories poured into my head. I got up and gripped the sword. A million flashbacks happened at once all of me using this sword. I lifted the Ragnorak over my head and spun it around. I rested it on my shoulder. Then I remembered what we used along with our weapons. "What kind of Materia is equipped to my sword?", I asked.
"Well I didn't want to go with anything too powerful.", Tifa said with a thoughtful look on her face. "So I got a few Alls, a Lightning, a Pre-Emptive, a Restore, a Time, a Counter, and a Bahamut summon. You used those while we lived here to fight off the monsters except an All on the Restore Materia. That's for if we both need it. You usually work alone.", she said.
I set my sword back on the wall, "You memorized my Materia setup?", I accused of her.
Tifa laughed, "No Cloud. I'm not your mother or anything. I just knew you liked that sword and saw the Materia in it.", she said chuckling. She then added, "What do you think I raid your underwear draw and stuff?", Tifa asked followed by a burst of laughter.
I laughed a little too. The thought of the brunette beauty sneaking into my room and pillaging my closet was funny. I got my plate and took Tifa's after we finish eating, "You did all the cooking Teef I'll clean up.", I said.
"Thanks.", she said and got up as well. I went to the sink. I looked around to find some dish washing soap.
"Hey Tifa where's the---", I turned around a collided with Tifa. She was not too far behind me. Leftovers from the glasses and plates spilled all over us. "Tifa I'm sorry! I didn't know--", she raised her hand to silence me.
"It's ok Cloud.", she said with a smile on her face. "It was my fault. I was worried you'd do something wrong.", Tifa said with a half a smile.
I've seen thank same smile before on several occasions where I ended up getting pranked as the memories came back. "You're lying aren't you Tifa?", I asked getting up and helping her up.
"You caught me.", she said smiling, "I was going to try and scare you."
"That's not like you Tifa.", I said looking at her.
"I've been hanging around Yuffie for too long.", she said. "Anyways", she added, "We can't leave here covered in coffee and bacon can we? We better go change.", she suggested. I nodded in agreement. We headed to our separate rooms. I could find only one outfit I had clean. It was in my closet. It had a pair of black baggy jeans, a black tank-top, and some kind of open sleeve I guess on the left shoulder. It was a piece of black cloth that covered my left arm and on the shoulder of it there was a lion's head ornament. I found a matching pair of black gloves and black boots. All in all it looked pretty good. I headed downstairs again.
"About time!", Tifa exclaimed seeing me putting her hands on her hips. She was wearing a black vest and a tank-top beneath it (I think). She had a pink bow tied on her upper left arm. On both her hands where fighting gloves. A purple-yellow kind with Materia in them. Her Godhand weapon I think. The bottom half of her outfit had what I first took as a dress but she really had on baggy shorts and some kind of half-skirt on the back. She wore black boots as well although the metal plates on them made me fear for any monster or man try to fight her.
"It didn't take me that long Tifa!", I retorted. Not even twenty minutes and she lost her patience.
"Not that! Those cloths! I got you those four months ago at Christmas. You needed them too. You didn't have too many and you haven't worn them until now!", she fumed.
"Sorry. I forgot about it.", I said. Again more memories of the holiday that happened four months ago. "I'll wear it more often. I promise.", I said.
Tifa sighed, "Well you look good in them.", she said crossing her arms over he chest. "Well lets get going.", she said walking towards the front door. I followed and got my Ragnorak. Then the two of us left the house. "We better get a gold chocobo from the ranch Cloud.", she said.
"A chocobo?", I asked lamely.
Chickens. Giant chickens. We were at a chocobo ranch outside of Kalm. I was standing with my back against a stable door arms crossed over my chest. Tifa was talking to some guy. Chocobo Bill I think his name was.
"What do you mean Champ's gone! And what about our other chocobos!", she yelled. Champ our gold chocobo was gone as were many others we raised.
"I'm sorry Miss. Lockhart. A man came by last night. I saw you with him several times. He wanted to borrow Champ and the others. He had a red-headed companion but the man said he was going to need four or five for a few others. We could talk about this inside.", he said and him and Tifa left. I sighed. This could take awhile. A little boy came up to me trying to sell something. I glared at him his efforts ceased. Better. Much better.
I waved my hand behind my hand. Something was pulling on my hair. It stopped. Then started. Again went to stop it. This continued about eighteen times before I spun around and hit a chocobo in the face. A big black one. He looked mad.
"WAAARRRRRKKKKKKK!", he chirped angrily and jumped over the stable door. He saw only me. I ran and the black followed. I felt him hit me and I fell to the ground. Then I felt it's break picking at my head.
"Get it off of me!", I yelled. I saw Tifa and the chocobo guy rush up. Tifa had a look of horror while the man was laughing his ass off!
"Get that chocobo off Cloud!", she screamed. The man brought the chocobo back to it's stable. "Cloud are you ok?", she asked kneeling down near me.
"The boy'll be fine Miss. Lockhart. The poor chocobo confused your friends hair with some hay.", the old man said chuckling. I got up. "Like I said Miss. Lockhart, we have no extra chocobos available. You'll have to hoof it I'm afraid. If you two need a place to stay you can always use the house for a price.", Tifa and I left there as soon as we could without hearing another sales pitch.
"I can't believe it!", Tifa yelled throwing her hands up into the air.
We started to cross a swamp when I replied, "Come on Teef what's the worst that can happen?", and no sooner did I finish the sentence that a giant cobra rushed from under the water! "You have got to be shitting me!", I yelled drawing the Ragnorak. I saw Tifa get into her fighting stance.
"Don't worry Cloud this is just a Midgar Zolom. It's nothing to worry about.", she said. I sighed in relief. Then I felt the snake hit me with its head sending me into the marsh.
"I've had it! First that damn bird now this over grown lizard!", I yelled. Rage was pumping through me. My sight turned red. I saw a opening for a strong attack against the reptile and took it. I charged him and jumped as high as I could with my Ragnorak over my head. I came down with crashing force. I looked up. Not a mark on the snake! "What?", No I must have hit him I---. Blood? A drop of blood just hit my forehead. Right now the middle of the creature's body did blood gush out like a geyser covering me and Tifa with it's blood. The Zolom split in half and fell into the water. I spun my sword around in the air and rested it on my shoulder relived.
Tifa stretched some. "Way to go Cloud!", she said rejoining me near the corpse. "Right down the middle! Well you're fighting hasn't suffered one bit from your memory lost.", she said. I nodded in agreement. Braver, my most basic Limit Breaker technique demolished that poor soul. But what are my others? I know of the countless times I used Braver I just need to know my others. Maybe they'll come to me when I do them in battle.
We were almost out of the marsh when we heard a rumbling from the water. A large lizard like being came out. It looked like the Midgar Zolom only with two heads and a set of four limbs. The heads had a pattern of crowns. Maybe this is an aptly named Zolom Lord? I drew the Ragnorak. "Lets just kill this thing and get on with this Tifa.", I said turning to her. Tifa wasn't there. She had charged the beast and begun to fight it.
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