For weeks after that night, Lunara kept to her word and visited biweekly for the next month. Although they hadn't known each other for very long, Lunara felt a warmth in Tifa that kept her heart light and she decided that the young martial artist was as close to a 'girlfriend', or whatever the youth called female friends these days, she'd ever get, despite their differences and their pasts. To avoid too much attention she only visited the bar after hours or before they opened apparently causing one of the young children residing in one of the rooms upstairs to grow curious. Tifa had fondly explained to her that Marlene, the daughter of one of their friends', awakened every time Lunara came over and was curious as to whose voice was the third ones. Upon hearing this Lunara had to laugh slightly.
It was one certain night that the mysterious ex-SOLDIER happened to meet the little girl. Later Tifa informed her that the girl had refused to go to bed until she met this woman. Her curiosity had grown too strong in the past month and she wanted to see who this person was. Tifa had explained to her that it was not important and that she was just an old friend of Cloud's, but that had only made Marlene more eager.
That night when Lunara knocked on the door to the bar it wasn't answered by Tifa, but instead this little girl with the brightest smile she had ever seen since Zack as she swung the door open. She was about six or seven and had long brown hair that was braided with a pink bow down her back. Her clothes were white, the skirt and the turtle neck, and her eyes were a sparkling chocolate brown.
"Hi!" she chirped almost bouncing on the balls of her feet. Lunara returned the smile easily and nodded to her.
"Hello," she returned.
"Are you Cloud and Tifa's friend?" she asked cutely as she tilted her little head to the side and looked the woman over.
Lunara laughed slightly and nodded again. "Yes, I am."
Marlene's smile widened and she heaved the door open wider, allowing the woman inside. Stepping past the threshold she said her thanks and greeted Tifa who stood behind the bar cleaning a few cups. When inside, Marlene shut the door and bounced next to the woman examining her even as the two women began to speak.
"Sorry about Marlene. She refused to go to bed until she met you," apologized Tifa with a lopsided smile and Lunara shook her head and returned the gesture.
"It's quite alright. I understand," she chuckled as she felt a gentle tug on her coat. She looked down to find Marlene staring up at her with those wide brown eyes of hers. "Yes, little one?"
"Why do you wear that?" she asked curiously and lifted a tiny finger to point at the woman's blindfold. Lunara smiled and knelt in front of the girl with her right leg propped up and her arm rested on top of her knee.
"What this?" she said brushing a slender finger over the corner of the blindfold. "It helps me see."
Marlene's face scrunched up, but her adorable smile never left. "Well, that's weird," she giggled earning a short scolding from Tifa. The girl blushed and looked at her feet briefly in shame. "Sorry, but I always thought blindfolds made you not see. Me and Denzle use them when we play hide and seek."
"Well, I don't know how, but I can see you better wearing it than when I don't," Lunara smiled.
"Then I guess you wouldn't be very fun to play hide and seek with, huh?" she giggled again and Lunara chuckled as she straightened to stand again.
"I suppose not," she agreed.
Marlene giggled again and took the woman's hand to drag her to the bar where Tifa was and jumped on a stool. Lunara took the one on her left and smiled at Tifa. "Where's Cloud?" she asked.
"He had a late delivery to take care of," explained the waitress and Lunara nodded then felt another tap on her shoulder. Looking over to Marlene she found the girl staring intently at her.
"Can I see your eyes?" she inquired. No matter the innocence of the question it caused Lunara's smile to fall and she saw that Tifa's had as well. She hadn't even shown her eyes to them yet and they understood that she wasn't about to do it anytime soon. She had practically been the female Sephiroth and they had a guess as to the color. They also guessed that half the reason she wore the blindfold was to avert astonished glances at her eyes.
"Perhaps another time, little one," she said softly and offered a shaky smile. Marlene merely shrugged and smiled.
"Okay! What's your name?" she asked.
Lunara's smile returned as she chuckled at the curiosity this girl had. She sure did ask a lot of questions. "Lunara," she replied.
"That's a pretty name," she cooed and straightened her back as she held out her hand. "I'm Marlene."
It was cute how the girl attempted to act like an adult and so, Lunara shook her hand gently. "A pleasure to meet you, Marlene," she said.
Marlene giggled as they released hands then she turned to Tifa. "I'm going to bed now, Tifa, okay?"
Tifa nodded and smiled at the girl as she leaned across the counter to place a soft kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight, Marlene," she said softly then the little girl turned back to Lunara as she hopped off the barstool. She wrapped her arms around the woman and hugged tightly, the action causing Lunara to jump slightly and stare down at the little girl in surprise. When the hug was over, Marlene looked at her brightly.
"Goodnight!" she chirped and skipped up the stairs to the room she shared with the other child, Denzle she believed.
After the girl disappeared, Lunara sat frozen still feeling the warmth of Marlene's gesture. Across from her, Tifa smiled fondly and continued washing dishes. "I think she likes you," she said.
Lunara didn't answer for a long time as she stared up the stairs where the girl disappeared then finally turned back to Tifa with a nervous twitch of a smile. "I don't see how. She just met me," she replied.
Tifa sighed and shook her head with a smile at her new friend. "Marlene makes friends easily and has a talent when it comes to judging character. She finds yours one that she can trust," she shrugged and watched the woman soak this in. "It's not a bad thing, Lunara."
"Isn't it?" returned the ex-SOLDIER, lifting her head to look at the woman across from her. "I am a monster, after all."
"Stop it," scolded the bartender whipping the leather clad woman gently in the arm with her cloth. "You're not a monster. Sephiroth was."
If it hadn't been for the blindfold Tifa was sure she would have seen the glare Lunara sent her way because she certainly felt it. Blushing ashamedly she looked away from her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just, he's the one that turned on us and destroyed our homes. You didn't," she explained and let out a breath when she felt the glare on her leave.
"It's alright, Tifa. You have no need to apologize. You've had a bad history with Shinra and Sephiroth, you have a right to be angry at him," she said while shaking her head, wisps of dark hair coming to cover her face as it bowed to stare at the counter top. "And who knows? If I hadn't have been confined by Shinra I might have joined him and all that you fought to keep wouldn't be here. Nothing would be here…"
Tifa said nothing because as much as she hated to admit it, it was true. With her love for Sephiroth, he might have been able to manipulate her to his cause just like he had manipulated Cloud. She shivered at the thought and looked back at the woman that still moped across from her. She wanted to say something, some words of comfort, but whatever she said would most likely hurt the woman more. Thankfully she was saved from thinking of something when Cloud walked through the door.
The two women looked to the blonde as the door opened and he in return looked up. The small smile that usually greeted them wasn't there and they blinked, momentarily forgetting the previous conversation. Turning around on the swiveling barstool, Lunara rested her weight on the edge of the counter while looking Cloud over.
"Is there something wrong, Cloud?" she inquired and the blonde shrugged.
"It's been a long day," he responded. The two women looked at each other in disbelief, but didn't press the matter.
"Is there any news?" asked Tifa hopefully while changing the subject. Cloud sadly and shook his head and sat at a stool next to Lunara. Sighing, the blindfolded woman leaned heavily against the counter in defeat. Her usually straight and confident posture was slouched and she looked like she had given up. Cloud had never seen his old friend like this; she was always positive and trying to think on the brighter side. Weeks with them getting nowhere seemed to get her spirits down quicker than he thought.
"It appears the three men have been hiding very well. What do you suppose they're waiting for?" Lunara wondered aloud quietly as Tifa set a mug of ale in front of her. She nodded. "Thank you."
"Maybe they're waiting for one of us to be alone," offered the bartender. Immediately both Cloud and Lunara shook their heads.
"They would have attacked already. Lunara is always alone when she's not with us and I'm by myself on deliveries," said Cloud. The women nodded in unison, but while Lunara went back to her drink, Tifa furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Where do you stay anyway, Lunara?" she asked which caused Cloud to also turn to her questioningly. Lunara stopped from lifting her glass to her lips and looked between both of them before shrugging.
"Oh, you know. Places here and there," she replied vaguely with a wave of her hand.
"Luna," Cloud said sternly as if in warning and she raised a countering eyebrow over the blindfold she wore. This didn't perturb Cloud. "Don't lie to us. Where have you been spending your nights?"
"Exactly where I said. Here and there," she responded, lifting the glass of ale to her lips and taking a sip. She could hear Tifa sigh in frustration across from her.
"Lunara, seriously. Where do you sleep?" she questioned.
Lunara kept her head bowed slightly, but underneath her blindfold she looked at her friends as if she were emotionless when in reality she had a mix of confusion, worry and fear mixed inside of her. "Whoever said anything about sleeping?" she countered monotonously. The other two were silent after she spoke and just stared at the woman as she stared back. At least, they thought she was staring back.
"What do you mean?" asked Cloud after a long pause. Lunara sighed and straightened from leaning against the bar counter.
"Well, eight years in Chryosleep kind of keeps you awake for a while, I guess," she said with a shrug.
"Are you telling us that you haven't slept for a month?" Shocked, Tifa's mouth hung open slightly in astonishment and she looked to Cloud. "How is that possible?"
The blonde shrugged. "I don't know, Tifa. I don't know anything about Chryochambers," he replied, perplexed.
"Chryoliquid has a special chemical in it called Korotine. Now, I don't know exactly how it works, but when in contact with an absorbable substance, say skin, it slows the aging process. Eventually it makes its way into the blood stream, slowing the function of organs and blood flow, but it is unable to stop the synapses between neurons, that's why a person can hear, see and think like normal. It's like acid, except it does the complete opposite. It spreads quickly, but instead of burning and pulling apart the body, it keeps it together in preservation. Hojo used it in many of his experiments, but Korotine was a rare substance to produce considering it took a significant amount of Jenova cells to make and Shinra needed as much of them as they could get their dirty little hands on," Lunara explained slowly looking between the two as she spoke.
Sighing in annoyance, Tifa ran a hand through her short raven hair. "Even now we find out what Shinra was up to back then," she groaned.
Lunara nodded. "Indeed. It was especially hush hush because they ordered Hojo to stop using it considering it took too many Jenova cells to make and what was left of it was put in lock down. They only used it in small doses when absolutely needed. They used the last of it to preserve me," she said.
"Preserve…" said Cloud thoughtfully. "Did they plan to use you again? If they thought you to be that dangerous, why not just kill you when they had the chance?"
Taking a large gulp of her ale, Lunara grimaced slightly. "I've been wondering the same thing since they put me in that tube, Cloud. I can't tell you how many times it's crossed my mind," she added.
"Pardon my language, but all this is really fucked up," cut in Tifa which Lunara's lips twitched a smile to. She was right though, everything, all this, was really messed up. Maybe she should just go talk to Rufus, maybe he knew more about what went on with her back then. After all, he was the Vice President for a very long time; his father would have let him in on his dirty little secrets no doubt.
"I should go talk with Rufus. He might know more about what the hell is going on," she said finally, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Cloud shake his head.
"I don't think that will be possible."
Lunara raised a brow over her blindfold. "And why not?" she inquired.
"Because a few years ago we blew up Shinra headquarters and Rufus was still inside. We're not sure, but we think he probably didn't survive the blast. If he did, then he's probably crippled or brain dead beyond belief," replied Tifa. Lunara sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well then. As you may say, we are shit out of luck, yes?" she said and the other two nodded. After a moment's pause Lunara downed the rest of her ale and stood from the barstool. "I suppose I will be off then."
"Where are you going?" asked Cloud.
"Searching. Since I can't sleep, that's all I have been doing the past month," she replied then looked to the bartender. "Thank you for the drink, Tifa. I will see you both soon. Possibly." As she made her way to the door, Tifa quickly came around from the other side of the bar as Cloud stood.
"Wait, Lunara. At least stay here for the night," she offered, gently taking the woman's arm. "And what do you mean by 'possibly'?"
Gently tugging her arm out of the younger woman's grasp, Lunara leveled them both with even stares. "That's very kind of you to offer, Tifa, but I must decline. I am leaving Edge for a while and I am not sure when I will return," she answered smoothly.
"Where are you going?" asked Cloud as Tifa began to protest.
"Midgar," she replied. "If Rufus isn't alive then that is the only place I may be able to find answers."
"No, no. Let Cloud go with you. Stay here for tonight and in the morning you can have breakfast with us and the kids then you can leave for Midgar," interjected Tifa hurriedly. Lunara had to crack a small smile at the eagerness for her wanting to stay.
"Forgive me, Tifa, but I can't. What could I possibly do if I cannot sleep? I would be bored to death. No, I will start walking tonight," she returned then looked to the clock at the other end of the room that read 3am. "Or rather this morning."
"Cloud," Tifa begged, turning to her childhood friend. The blonde merely sighed slightly and shook his head.
"We can't make her stay, Tifa, and she has a point. Maybe she will find answers and the three silver haired men," he said then turned back to Lunara with his hand held out. "Good luck."
Lunara nodded her head in gratitude before taking his gloved hand with her own and shaking it firmly. "Likewise. I hope my search will not be in vein." She gave the two one last smile before tipping her head down slightly. "Farewell."
As soon as she was out the door, it closed behind her with a soft click. She took a deep breath and tasted the pollution in the air which made her nose wrinkle in distaste. If these people weren't careful this city would become just as destroyed as Midgar had, although there were, hopefully, no biologically enhanced SOULDIERs to help the process along. Sighing softly she began her trek down the street towards the border of Edge. If she walked, it was about a day long trek, but she was in no hurry and she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon, so she could make it by noon.
Midgar was nothing anymore; only torn to bits buildings, destroyed streets and the haunting of broken lives and dreams. If anything was the symbol of greed and sadness, it was Midgar and she hated going back more than anything, but if she wanted to find out what the hell was going on, she had to suck it up like a big girl and face her fears. Lunara was never one to step down from a challenge, but her heart felt like it was being pulled apart with more force with every step she took. Midgar was where her old life was. It was where she had met Sephiroth, fell in love with him and eventually torn away from him. Before she could suppress them, more memories flooded her mind…
"Ara?"
She awoke slowly when the comfortably warm body beneath her moved slightly. She groaned slightly in annoyance and buried her face in Sephiroth's chest even as he chuckled in amusement and smoothed his large hand over her hair. She yawned softly and attempted to curl her naked body closer to his.
"Wake up, Ara," he whispered gently and she made a sound of protest causing another chuckle to rumble through his chest. "Yes. I have recruits to train and you have SOULDIERs' asses to kick."
Lunara let out a soft laugh at that and finally lifted her head from his chest to look at him with sleepily blurry eyes. Emerald green eyes stared back at each other with equal love and admiration. The General lifted a hand to brush over her cheek and she grinned at him.
"You are so beautiful…" he sighed and she smiled wider. Lifting her body to rest fully over his, she rose up to kiss his delicious lips slowly as her knees slid to either side of his hips. He moaned softly and curled his hand into her hair, crushing their lips together in a heated kiss. Lunara chuckled slightly as down below she felt a certain something rise in excitement. Wriggling her hips, she continued to taunt him.
He pulled away from the kiss then and hissed slightly, but that crooked smile of his remained. She smirked at him and moved her hips again, their lower regions just barely touching yet sending the most delicious sensations through them. He made a grunt of pleasure then annoyance when she suddenly rolled off him and wrapped the robe she kept in his room at the end of the bed around herself.
"What are you doing, Ara?" he almost whined, but his self control restrained most of it. The woman turned her head to look at her lover with a small smile, allowing her eyes to roam over his perfectly aroused body.
"Having a shower, Seph. What does it look like?" she grinned then stood to move over to the bathroom to the left of the bed, but she didn't get far. The General had leaped up from his position and easily pinned her to the wall beside the door. Her smile never left because she had guessed that this would happen.
"You can't just tease me like that and then leave me, Lunara," he growled playfully before his lips attacked her neck. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders while tilting her head back for him to have easier access to the delicate skin.
"Mmm… Actually, I was quite hoping you would join me," she sighed in delight. The man groaned against her and groped at her robe until it was free from her body and on the floor. The next thing the couple knew, they were in the shower, steamy hot water pouring over them while they tangled with each other and kissed each other as if afraid to let go.