Chapter 98: Responsibilities

Tifa sat next to Aerith's bed and held her friend's hand. There wasn't anything else she could seem to do. They'd brought the Cetra back to the Highwind and Tifa wasn't sure what had happened after that. Zack had taken over for her and let her stay next to her friend's limp, motionless body while he'd taken on the job of explaining what had happened while they were in the forest. Tifa was glad she hadn't had to stay to hear that. Instead she stayed with Aerith in the 'girls' bunkroom and from time to time she leaned forward and rested her head against her friend's chest. Under her ear the pauses in between each heart beat were bottomlessly slow and measured. Aerith wasn't dead. But Tifa didn't know if she was alive either. Wherever she was, Aerith was a long way from here.

Sharing a cot on the other side of her, Tifa's brother and sister had finally fallen asleep, Marlene with silent tears on her cheeks and Denzel with a pale face and determined eyes. They both matched the way Tifa felt.

There was a muffled knock on the door and then a scraping at the handle before it pushed open. Red let himself into the room and it made Tifa smile weakly. For a creature without thumbs there was very little he couldn't manage.

"Hey," she held out her arm and he came over to lean against her and the side of her chair, watching Aerith as Tifa slid her arm around his shoulders and found comfort in the warmth of his familiar furry body. It had been the four of them once. Her and Zack and Red and…

"Strife is a strong mind. He will not abandon us." Red's voice was sure but, to Tifa, it sounded… just a little young at the moment too. She lowered her head to rest her cheek against the top of his head. What had Aerith told her? That she had to be the one to make everyone else believe it would be all right?

Easier asked than done…

"Yes," she agreed. As she'd agreed each other time one of their team had come to her to state that Cloud would be back. At first she'd thought they were doing it for her. It had taken her a while to realize… they needed the reassurance themselves. She rubbed a hand over Red's fur. "He's too strong. He'll come back."

A part of her believed that too. Had to believe that a man that had gone years recreating himself after being wrecked with memories that weren't his and having the ones that were either stolen or suspect… the one that had thought he was a monster and still acted like a man… a part of her believed in him. In that man and his strength to come back to her. To all of them.

That little part of her, always on the edge of being drowned entirely by the despair inside her, was the only thing that was letting her stay afloat. That – and the fact that her family, her friends, still needed her.

She was a Lockhart. They didn't get to fall apart until everyone else was okay.

Then however… oh, then she thought she'd go find a dark cave somewhere and curl up in a ball for a year or two.

Red joined her in her vigil and after a little while longer, there was another tap at the door and Elmyra came in. Competent she pushed a tall mug full of hot tomato soup into Tifa's hands, gave Red a pat on his head, and then leaned over to rest a hand on her daughter's forehead.

Elmyra, Red and Vincent had been onboard the Highwindwhen Cid had come to pick up Tifa's group. Apparently they'd been picked up as Leon had been returning from whatever it was he'd taken the rest of the group to do. Tifa hadn't been sure what to expect but Elmyra had taken one look at her limp and apparently lifeless daughter and immediately snapped into the kind of situational handling that would have made a military commander burst his seams with pride. Now she gently tucked the blanket up around her daughter's shoulders and without looking at her, instructed Tifa:

"Drink up, dear. You're going to need your strength if you're going to be with the group going after your young man."

Remembering the last time she'd been under the older woman's care, Tifa dutifully lifted the cup to her lips and drank. This time she didn't protest when Elmyra called Cloud her young man.

"What happened?" she asked softly. She knew the basics but not details. She'd been here with Aerith for most of what had been left of the day by the time the Highwind had gotten to them and they'd all gotten back onboard. Elmyra moved a hand dismissively now.

"Oh, there's a great deal of talk about where they should go to find that monster creature. Aerith's father has been on the phone almost constantly with Leon and Zack talking about places it might have gone to ground and what the stone you explained might be used for. Mostly just men sitting around wanting to do something and trying to figure out what to do."

It made the edges of Tifa's lips lift slightly and she took another sip of her soup. Its warmth really did feel comforting.

"No," she inserted quietly. "I mean with you. And Red and Vincent. The rescue. What happened?"

"Oh!" Elmyra finally let herself sit down on the bed next to her daughter and her fingers gently stroked the soft bangs away from Aerith's forehead. "Oh, well, that." She gave Tifa a look and shook her head, folding her hands in her lap. "Well, Elena and I were in the kitchen washing the dinner dishes, you see. Elena is one of those nasty Turks but she's really just a good little girl. A little too eager to please but her parents raised her well. Anyway, we were in the kitchen washing up and Tseng came in from the other room. There's been a bit of a scuffle when the Shinra soldiers first arrived you see and they'd broken my favorite vase." Her eyes were serious as she looked over at Tifa. "With one of their hard little heads," she added factually and it took a second to register for Tifa. When it did, she almost spit her soup out. Elmyra gave a small, smug little smile and kept going. "Anyway, Tseng was busy being a polite guest and trying to find someone to replace my vase on the phone in the other room. He's really not a bad boy, just a bit too work driven sometimes. Well, he came in to fetch Elena all of the sudden. Apparently he'd just gotten a call on his phone from some agent they'd lost quite a few years ago. I don't know if he was entirely trusting, poor dear, but he thought that he and little Elena should check it out. They waited with me until some Shinra guards came to take over and then they went on their way."

"Now, I don't like most soldiers on general principle but these boys were very polite and so I was making them some tea and Rodney, that was the one with the freckles, well, he was telling me about his sweetheart back home and all of the sudden, my door just bursts open with this great 'Bam! Whoosh!' and this very nice cat here," she gestured toward Red, "and his friend with the hair came bursting in. Well, all heck broke loose and I hid under the table and when it was all done, the polite cat introduced himself and told me that Aerith had sent them. So of course, I bandaged up Rodney's head and Patrick's arm, packed up a little bag and off we all went."

Tifa watched the other woman over the brim of her cup and wondered if, even at the age she was now, she'd manage to react to things as… acceptingly as Elmyra seemed to. Red was remaining silent but she'd felt his sniffs as he'd been called a 'cat'. Not that he seemed to have the nerve to correct Elmyra either and Tifa didn't blame him.

"We walked for quite a bit and stayed at some very ethnic places and finally this wonderful ship dropped out of the sky and picked us up," Elmyra fussed with Aerith's pillow a bit and then settled again. "I must say, it's been quite an adventure for a woman my age."

It was quiet between them then for a little while and then Tifa wrapped both hands around the now empty mug in her lap and looked at the other woman.

"Elmyra…" she began and then paused, because she wasn't sure of how to say it. The older woman looked at her and her face softened. Tender, she reached out and brushed aside a strand of Tifa's hair.

"Yes, dear," her voice was just as gentle as the touch had been. "I will."

Surprised, Tifa startled and Elmyra reached out to pat her knee.

"They're darling little children, your brother and sister. You know I always loved having them over when Aerith would baby-sit. Of course I'll take care of them if anything happens. But it won't, dear. You'll see."

"Am I that obvious?" Tifa asked and the older woman just chuckled slightly and looked back at her own daughter with eyes that softened and saddened.

"It's a part of being a mother. You always worry about your children first. From what I understand things are coming to a bit of a head, aren't they? So of course you'd worry about your siblings. Don't. I'll take care of them while you're busy and you'll come back just fine."

It made something in Tifa's chest relax a little. She adored Barret and he was a good man. But he was also a rough man and his job took him away so much. She knew he'd watch the children if anything happened to her but she thought Elmyra… Elmyra had done a fine job with Aerith and the children already knew her. She looked down at Red.

"You too?" she asked him. "If anything happens to me, you'll watch over the children too?"

It seemed an odd mix. Feisty, little Elmyra and dignified, furry Red. Tifa thought it was a good mix though. Red looked at her with his single golden eye and very slowly gave one of his nods, chin dipping toward his chest.

"I would be honored."

Tifa ruined the dignity of the moment by hugging him and then turning to hug Elmyra. They all settled into silence after that because there was nothing left to say but it was comfortable. Until the door burst open and Zack was standing in it with wide eyes.

"Teef! Quick! The Hello-Kitty phone is going nuts!"