Author's Notes: My first chapter's shorter than the Prologue? Haha! Anyhow, I don't know if my descriptions are detailed enough to give you the scenario but I hope you'll find it okay. Thanks for the support and encouragement by the way. I'm sorry for misspells, grammos or typos, and thank you for pointing them out. Please keep on! :)

Disclaimer: Same old.

CHAPTER ONE

THE CALL

Stealth had always been one of her strong points.

Tifa had grabbed one of the Materias from her secret bar drawer, where she had hidden some of the leftovers from her days with AVALANCHE. They weren't the best of the Materia elements but she grabbed one, just in case she needed it. There was no doubt in her mind this was one of those moments. She could feel it in her skin; she could breathe it in the air. Cloud had left just a few minutes ago and whoever or whatever it was upstairs had an excellent sense of timing.

She avoided the creaky steps as she pulled on her gloves, slowly making her way to the top. Furniture was softly being moved inside Marlene's room, and there was something else being scraped gently along the floor. The sounds were minimal but her senses were heightened at this point. She could feel some Materia being unleashed from the other side. She prepared her Materia and turned the knob. She pushed open the door and immediately saw one startled man standing by the window.

He was wearing black jeans paired with a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up to hide his face. He had sunglasses on as well probably for extra measure. He had pushed Marlene's chair near the window undoubtedly to make his escape easier. He was holding an unconscious and bound Marlene over his shoulders, a foot set on the chair.

"You're not getting out of here alive," she told him, as she rushed over and pulled Marlene free of his grip, giving him a slight kick in the process. Tifa laid Marlene gently on the bed and turned back to the man. As he stood back up, he was fidgeting with something beneath his sweatshirt but her speed gave him no time to act. She gave him a hard punch on the face and kicked him on the stomach. He crashed to the floor, knocking over the chair and Marlene's tiny desk.

The man finally managed to pull his weapon free and fired. Tifa easily dodged the first bullet, careful not to land anywhere near Marlene. This was difficult to do in a small room and so she decided to jump. The man fired a second shot toward the ceiling, which she dodged again. This time she quickly approached and kicked the weapon off his hand while groping for her cellphone in her pocket. The gun bounced off the wall and landed on the floor a small distance away from the man's reach. He dared not move as he saw Tifa's stance before him.

Tifa got ready to deal him another blow when the door adjoining both Denzel and Marlene's room opened. A large, burly man wearing the same black outfit stood with an unconscious Denzel draped over his shoulder. His gun was raised and pointed toward the sleeping child. "Denzel!" she shouted. Tifa was poised in the air when a bullet found its way to her left side. The distraction had worked. It gave the first man an opportunity to grab his gun and fire. The impact made her drop her phone.

She fell down on the floor as the second, more burly man fired another shot. Tifa, focus shattered, barely misses this one, causing it to gash her right arm. Blood was beginning to flow as she clutched her side, her breath contracting. The first man crossed the room on his way to take Marlene. She was standing in front of the window, blocking the way they came in from. She didn't make any sudden movements as both men had her gun pointed at her. They were both walking toward the door that led downstairs. Guns still raised.

The first man was limping a little, but there was no grimace of pain on his face; as though the previous damage Tifa dealt was nothing to him at all. She made to approach him but his companion started firing, breaking the windows, running lines on the walls. She tried her best to dodge them all. They were backing away toward the stairs when Tifa remembered she had Materia stored in her glove. Another bullet flew past near the wound on her left, leaving a sharp trace of pain on her side. The bullet lodged itself on the windowsill. In a voice almost like a gasp, she cast the magic on the intruders, "POISON!!"

She wasn't that strong of a spellcaster and so the effect of the magic did not work on them instantly. In fact, Tifa was afraid that the Poison Materia did not have effect on them at all. They ran down the stairs as Tifa held herself on the floor with her arms, trying to give herself a push. The sun was already almost out; the sky turning light blue and bright. She tried to stand up despite the frantic protests of her wound. She fell back, clutching her side, wincing in pain.

She could hear them downstairs, throwing the tables and chairs around, ransacking her bar. Her rage could only intensify, but her body remained immovable. The slightest movement sets fire to her wounds. She could hear them banging the doors as they made their way out. Her jaw set in determination; she dispelled the pain from her mind and crawled over to the windowpane. With the remaining bits of her will she propped herself against the window. She supported herself by grabbing the window frame and saw the two of them riding motorcycles going westward, the children on their laps, probably still dreaming.

Droplets of blood were scattered all over the floorboards and the pain was starting to become unbearable. She began to feel lightheaded. "No!" she told herself as she tried to reach for her cellphone, lying a few feet away. She launched herself toward her phone and crawled over, the pain intensifying with every motion she made with her body. Her vision was beginning to double, but she knew from touch the keys to his number. She had spent countless times dialing that number before.

The ringing seemed like forever as the pain on her side threatened to overcome her. It was all that occupied her mind. Sweat had begun to trickle down her cheek. He picked up on the sixth ring. "Hello?"

"Cloud…" she managed weakly, his voice offering her some relief, "Marlene… Denzel… taken west. They took… west…" she was barely coherent and words had begun to be a struggle for her to form. On the other line, Cloud was telling her how he couldn't understand her, "Are you okay? What's going on?"

She crawled nearer to the phone in an attempt to make him hear better, "Marlene… Denzel!" she said, frustrated, "West… Kidnapped…" Her mouth was upon the receiver when she gave out a cry of pain, "Hurry… Cloud…" was her final whisper.

Her head hit the wooden floor gently as she lost consciousness. Her hands were still on her side, but not even that could stop the crimson pool beginning to form beneath her body. "Tifa!" said the voice, full of fear and urgency on the other side, "Tifa!"

Author's Notes: Can I just ask someone to remind me how Tifa came to possess the lion ring. I saw her wearing it in Advent Children but for the life of me I can't remember if it was from Cloud and if it is, how he gave it to her. :D Please?

Also, I am so sorry if my Materia usage is erroneous. I can't remember how it is anymore. If anyone would be so kind as to explain it to me, I would be so glad to avoid mistakes in the future. I still don't know where this story is going, but the next chapter is ready in my head. I wrote this to celebrate my day of free cuts from school. Who would have thought all my professors decided not to hold classes today? :D My first story in 2 years and I write it on a school day. Haha!

Keep the reviews comin'!