Disclaimer: I do not own ff or the characters from it.
Chapter 7: An Angel named Lydia
She stood up unwillingly, as if the spot she was in was the salvation in a raging war. Her bloody feet shook in protest then she slipped as her rollerblades lose control. She met the cold ground hard, adding to the list of pains she experienced that day.
Suddenly, the rain stopped tricking her body. She looks forwards to see white high heels emerge in front of her. She looked up to see a woman in white leather ranch coat with long smoky white skirt that flows to her upper knee. Her pale blue eyes met her tear stained figure.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
XOXO
She was glad. Here she was, sitting in a candle lit restaurant, with warm blanket over her now dried clothes and a woman was tending her legs.
"I was surprised," said the woman, tying a knot to the tourniquet she did on Tifa, "there I was going to work and I found you sitting there like a stray cat. What were you thinking Tifa, bleeding yourself to death?" she said sternly out of worry.
Tifa remained silent. The woman stood up, placing her one hand on her waist. Tifa looked up at her tiredly, beaming at the woman.
She was beautiful, with her long wavy platinum blond hair tied in a loose low braid with a silver flower-shaped clip. Some strands of her locks formed jailing bangs, all leads to back to the clip. Her hair flows below her waist.
Now that she removed her coat, a sleeveless woolen halter sweater framed her perfect figure, with two aqua laces layered around her neck.
"I'm sorry Lydia," said Tifa weakly.
"Sorry, I could not hear you over the broken whisper." She said. "I'm sorry, I did not catch your name, you said it was… Tifa something right? That's weird… a common name for someone so different." She said, pretend as if Tifa was just one of her customers. "You know, I met this girl who has the same face as yours. She's an optimist… wonder what happened to her…" She grinned with her rosy lips.
Tifa smiled weakly at the 22-year-old woman. Lydia Wong was a singer in a famous Chinese restaurant called the Po Xiao. She was like Tifa's sister, the only person Tifa would whined to. So she told her what had happened.
"Oh Tifa, Tifa, Tifa… come on girl, I know you're better than this." She said, tilting Tifa's chin to look up at her. "Remember Tifa dear, I was like you once upon a time ago."
Tifa beamed. Lydia was in love with Sion Long. Nevertheless, Sion left her, going with another woman. She was broken and Tifa was the one who lifted her spirits.
"Talking like this makes me nostalgic." she said, her voice soft as silk.
She walked towards the stage then whispers something to the couple of people who hold music instruments. She then walked towards the front of the stage, where a microphone held out to her height.
She started murmured something in Spanish. Tifa's Spanish was a little rusty but, she know she said, "Because of all these setbacks, I finally understand, That most beautiful flower, it's blooming for itself..."
Her words attracted the customers in the restaurants. All eyes were on her now.
The music stars with a slow violin then her lips parted and sang the Chinese song;
Lydia, with your vague gaze
Why do you wander with an ocean of heartbreak
You've been hurt; even your smile paces about
Gypsy girl, who do you sing for?
You will see fog, see rain, see the sun
The cracked earth yields heartache again
He left, but can't take away your heaven
After the wind dries, tears of rainbow light will fall
He left, so you can leave your dreams behind
There must be a place to wait for love to take flight
Lydia, happiness isn't far away
Open your windows, and make a wish
You will feel love, feel hate, feel forgiveness
Life will not always be filled with heartache.
Applause filled the small restaurant. Tifa smiled. The song had lightened up her heart once more. She sighed.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she said over the microphone. "Please welcome, Tifa Lockhart." She said then the attention was all at Tifa then. She gasped as she walked awkwardly, barefoot towards the stage.
She leans towards Lydia then mouthed "What are you up to…" she said.
"Tifa Lockhart will perform a song for us tonight." She said. She pushed Tifa to the piano and push her shoulder to sit down.
She leaned forward to her ear. "You owe me a song."
"Say what?"
"That tourniquet is not for free you know." She said mischievously.
Then she walked down the stage. There was a man stopped in his tracks and stared dumfounded at Tifa. Tifa was nervous. She spotted Lydia who made a just-play-already gesture to her.
What was she doing here? She can't just face these people. Not after what had happened. But… that will just like running away. She does not want that. Not at all. It would be so uncharacteristic of her to run off.
She sighed. She pressed slowly at the piano keys. She pressed lightly, imagine, as the piano keys are the key to her locked heart. She stopped abruptly then started again. Her lips parted as she sang the song.
The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I'm alive
But I feel like I died
And all that's left is to accept that it's over
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder
I feel like I'm slipping away
After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain
My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I wonder why God lets me walk through this place
And though I can't understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday
And see how you've brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames
After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain
Here I am at the end of me
Trying to hold to what I can't see
I forgot how to hope
This night's been so long
I cling to your promise
There will be a dawn
After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain
Zack stared at the smiling Tifa then spotted her injured feet. "What happened to her legs… I didn't know she could sing… or playing the piano for that matter."
Talking to the glass again Fair?" growled a cold voice.
Zack almost had and heart attack. He relaxed as the man in clad in black leather, with his arms crossed, starring at Tifa with his cold grey eyes.
Zack suddenly beamed at him. He rushes towards him, then the man pushes his head to the glass. "Don't EVER touch me." He said.
"Squall, how've you been, it's been a while." He said, rubbing his throbbing cheek.
Squall Leonhart glanced at him then back to Tifa. "Who's that?" he asked Zack.
Zack raised his eyebrow.
Yosh! Now how's that for a chapter hehe. You've probably notice Squall already (unless you don't play FF8 of course.).. yeah, he's in this fanfic. I decided to put him in, just ramming with ideas cackles
So, the song that Lydia sang earlier was lyrics from F.I.R for the song, -tremendously obvious- Lydia. I put in the translation cos' it's in Chinese so unless you can speak that language, it's would be hard to know what the lyrics meant. Heh.
The song Tifa sang was from SuperChick, Beauty From Pain. I can't imagine Tifa's voice the same as her but, the song is soo perfect for this scene.
Tifa sure can heal her sorrow quickly ne?