Final Fantasy VII: The Story [3rd Instalment
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Four
Slowly Tifa turned, sighing heavily as she spotted Scarlet walking up the shaft. The woman had her hands on her hips and walked with a definite swagger, hips swaying as she walked up the shaft toward Tifa. Her expression was a smug one, lips pressed together in a thin, wide smile, eyes glazed in the moment of glory. And she had a right to be smug, for Tifa had nowhere else left to run. The two soldiers walked up a few feet behind Scarlet, ready to catch Tifa if she tried to run.
Scarlet stopped in front of Tifa. The woman was so close Tifa could smell her perfume. A nice fragrance, she thought. Shame it was on such an evil witch.
Scarlet flicked her hair out of her eyes. "The execution may have been unsuccessful," she began, her voice smooth and callous, "but your death by falling from here and crashing into the water below might still be pretty exciting."
She stopped when she saw that Tifa was not listening. The younger woman was wiping her boot against the back of her leg, her arms behind her back, not looking at Scarlet, making a show of the fact that she was not paying attention. Scarlet's face twitched. Walking up to Tifa, she slapped her hard across the face. Tifa staggered and nearly lost her balance, holding her cheek in her hand.
"Stuck up to the end!" hissed Scarlet.
Tifa looked down at her hand. Four specks of blood stained her fingers where Scarlet's long, painted nails had cut through the skin. Tifa looked up, eyes blazing.
"Quit slapping me! You old wench!!!"
Tifa stood straight and brought her hand up, striking Scarlet across her face. She did not draw blood, but she slapped hard enough to make Scarlet fall back. Scarlet brought her hand, trembling, to her face. She winced at the soreness of the skin, and her lips turned down into a fierce scowl. Raising her fist she returned the slap.
This time Tifa was ready for her. She did not defend herself but allowed Scarlet's hand to strike her face, making her cheek sting painfully. Tifa did not stagger and kept her balance. The moment Scarlet's hand left her face Tifa caught hold of it with her left hand, tugging Scarlet toward her. With her right hand she then slapped Scarlet repeatedly, literally wiping the smirk from her face. After the third strike Tifa let go and Scarlet fell onto the floor, her hair over her face, her cheek red and sore.
"God! I can't stand it," wailed Scarlet, sobbing. She spent a few moments pushing her hair away from her face, trying to sort it orderly behind her head. After regaining her composure and trying to restore a little of her glamour, she stood up and faced the anxious soldiers behind her. "Take her away," she ordered. As the soldiers came forward, Scarlet turned back to Tifa, the smug smile once more on her face. "Now it's time to pay up. I'll really drop you if you don't settle down!" She laughed.
Tifa grunted as the soldiers came forward. There was no point in her trying to run. She would not make it past Scarlet and the soldiers, and the only other way led to a sure death crashing into the ocean. She was just about to concede defeat and allow the soldiers to arrest her, when she heard a voice speak faintly…
Run…
Surprised, Tifa looked up and around her, wondering where the voice had come from. The voice was strangely familiar, yet at the same time completely alien and unfamiliar. She looked at the soldiers advancing on her. She looked at Scarlet, staring at her through wild eyes and laughing in delight. None of them had spoken, so who…?
Run to the end of the cannon!!!
Tifa obeyed at once, turning away from the soldiers and starting to run rapidly down the shaft toward the end of the cannon. She was running to certain death, of that she was sure of, but even if she did die, she would at least die with the satisfaction that she did not die at Scarlet's hands. The soldiers made no attempt to hurry after her—after all, where could she go?
Then a whirring noise began to sound, faint at first but swiftly growing louder, as though something large and powerful was approaching. Tifa and the soldiers skidded to a stop and looked ahead in complete wonder and surprise as a Shinra airship suddenly rose from beneath the cannon, rising slowly and hovering next to it. Painted in red paint across the side of the airship was the name 'Highwind', along with a picture of a woman dressed in a red bikini and with long, flowing red hair.
Standing on the airship's outer deck was Barret. The big man jumped up as he saw Tifa, waving his arms at her and shouting for her to run. Tifa complied, beginning to run for the cannon's edge even as the soldiers and Scarlet continued to stare in amazement.
The airship began to rise. Barret took hold of a long length of strong rope and threw it over the side of the ship. The rope slid down the side of the ship, falling past the cannon and swaying barely within reach of the cannon.
The soldiers had noticed Tifa was running now and quickly chased after her, trying to catch up to her before she could reach the rope and escape. Tifa glanced over her shoulder, saw the soldiers catching up to her, and tried her hardest to run faster. As she neared the end of the cannon she stretched her arms out, trying to grab hold of the rope as it swayed just within reach. But by the time she reached the end and jumped off, the rope had swayed out of reach again and she fell.
Tifa fell, her arms stretched up to the sky as she saw the airship rising rapidly away from her. The rope came within reach again and she quickly caught hold, sliding down a good few metres before she was able to get a secure hold. The rope burned through her leather gloves—she could feel the heat in her palms. But she did not let go and held on tight as the rope swayed perilously back and forth. On deck Barret gripped the other end of the rope tightly, determined not to let go and let Tifa fall.
He barked out an order and the ship began to move, flying away from Junon and heading out across the sea and into the horizon, carrying Tifa with it.
"You okay?" asked Barret.
Tifa was sat on deck, catching her breath after her terrifying ordeal. Her hands burned from holding onto the rope, and her cheek stung as a cold wind blew across her face. Her eyes were bleary from the wind—so she told herself—and she could barely make out the forms of Barret and Cait as they stood around her.
"My cheek hurts a bit," she admitted, rubbing at her sore cheek. The bleeding had stopped, though she would have a reminder of Scarlet for a few days. Tifa was not too bothered—Scarlet would have marks for a good while longer. Tifa wiped her eyes, and looked up at the two. "Forget about that, what's all this about?"
Barret looked to Cait, who grinned awkwardly and scratched the back of his head with his megaphone. The Mog copied him, almost knocking the cat off his perch. "Well, I'll catch the details later," said the cat evasively, refusing to meet either Tifa or Barret's eyes. "In any case," he added casually, "the Airship, Highwind, is now yours." With that he turned and hopped away. Barret waited before following him.
Tifa stared as the two disappeared through a door. She didn't know what had happened, but she could guess by Cait's guilty expression and Barret's fierce look that the cat had done something to trick them again. She did not get angry, though. The cat was only doing what he was being ordered to do, after all. It wasn't his fault.
Telling herself that this was the case, Tifa headed for the door leading into the ship. She was just about to take hold of the handle when a loud moaning, groaning sound cut through the roaring of the wind blowing through the propellers that powered the ship. Stepping away from the door Tifa turned and looked about the upper deck, until she spotted the source of the slurred groaning.
It was Yuffie. The young Wutai ninja was slumped heavily against the rails bordering the deck, her head leaning over the side. Her face was pale, with a green tinge to it, and she had one hand clamped tightly over her mouth as she groaned. Remembering the ninja's abhorrence to travel other than by foot, Tifa kept a wide berth and slid through the door and descended down the stairs leading into the ship.
When she walked inside she was hit with choking smell of oil and heavy machinery. The sound of the engines whirring and humming drummed loudly inside her head, making the blood pound. Tifa groaned and put a hand to her head, wishing that the noise would stop. The stench of the oil made her cough and didn't help her already pessimistic mood, but she tried to put all these thoughts aside as she descended the stairs and headed toward one of the bridges where Barret and Cait were talking.
"Dammit! Why didn't ya tell me you could fly an airship!?" Barret was shouting angrily, lifting his voice so that Cait could hear him over the roar of the engines. He shook his head and sagged. "I thought…… Tifa was gone for good."
Cait once again scratched his head and sat back on his Mog, resting his feet leisurely on the Mog's controls. "Sorry," he said simply, "but I had to do something to trick the enemy." He sat up and, grasping the controls firmly in his gloved hands, turned the Mog around. "Come on! Everyone is waiting!" The Mog hopped away, going up a set of stairs and disappearing through the door. Barret followed, not noticing Tifa standing at the end of the bridge.
"Everyone? Everyone is here?" said Tifa to herself. For an instant her heart lifted and she tore down the bridge, boots clattering on the metal grating, and leapt up the stairs. She burst onto the deck beyond and skidded to a stop, her heart falling.
Everyone was not there. She looked around and saw all of her friends. She saw Barret and Cait; Barret heading toward his spot at the front of the deck. She saw Vincent standing with Red XIII on the far side of the deck. They looked up at her as she ran in, Red XIII's face looking at her with concern.
She saw Cid, standing proudly at the ship's helm. He was looking over the shoulder of a young man dressed in a Shinra air uniform, criticising him quite harshly about his sloppy piloting skills. Two more Shinra workers were standing at another console near to Tifa. They glanced at her as she walked in. Tifa looked back. They did not look like prisoners.
Cid turned away from the nervous young pilot and spotted Tifa standing near the entrance of the deck, looking around. Putting out his cigarette and putting the half-smoked butt behind his ear, he ran up to Tifa and gestured to the deck. "Welcome to my airship—the Highwind!" Cid announced proudly.
Everyone turned to Tifa as she walked forward slowly toward the centre of the deck. Her head turned this way and that, looking around without enthusiasm. When she finished scanning the deck she turned to the face the spot near to where Barret stood, and her face fell. That was where Cloud should have been standing. Cloud should have been the one to rescue her, to lead the way. Cloud should be standing there now, telling them what they should do, where to go.
Cid watched her as her face fell, and he tapped his foot in annoyance. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice harsh. "You should be more excited than that!"
Red XIII looked up at him. "Cid……" he said softly. Giving the pilot a gentle nudge with his paw, the hound shook his head. Cid stared, then his eyes opened wide as he realised what the hound was saying. He gave Tifa an apologetic glance and scratched the back of his head, bowing awkwardly.
"Yeah……" said the pilot with a blush.
Tifa was paying no attention to the conversation. She continued to look at that one spot at the front of the deck. She could almost picture him standing there with a hand on his hip, gazing out of the window with that serious look he always wore, like he carried the troubles of the whole planet on his shoulders and no one was allowed to help share the load. After thinking about it all for a long time, he would turn to her and tell her it was going to be all right, saying it as though it was nothing. Even though inside, he was being torn apart by his suspicions of the truth. Tifa sighed. There was nothing she could do about it now. After taking one final look at the deck, she turned her eyes away and looked at Cid. "Not enough crew," she said quietly.
"Well, it takes all kinds," said Cid. He nodded his head toward the three Shinra employees that were piloting the ship.
"……So glad you're all right, Tifa," said Vincent. Tifa gave him a small nod. She then turned to Cait, who was hopping up behind her.
"Tifa, I'll give you information on Shinra," he said. Standing up, he patted his furry chest. "Ask me if there's anything you don't understand."
Tifa was just about to ask him a question about why he was being so helpful when she felt a large paw pat her leg. She looked down to see Red XIII standing next to her. He gazed up at her with his one good eye and asked the question she had been dreading answering. "Do you think we aren't strong enough without Cloud?" he asked. "Do you think we can't save the Planet alone?"
Sighing, Tifa went to the front of the deck. She pressed her hand against the glass wall and peered out at the ocean as it rushed by. They were on an airship owned by the Shinra, flying to who knew where, without a clue what to do. She turned her eyes from the water and looked up at the sky. The skies were darkening to a deeper orange as day headed into night. Even Meteor was beginning to fade now, swallowed up by the darkness of night. But it would return again when the sun rose.
"Meteor is coming," she began, her eyes fixed on the evening sky above, "and Weapon is on the rampage…… At a time like this, I don't know what I'm supposed to do…… No idea at all……" Sighing again, she closed her eyes.
"Get a hold of yourself, Tifa!" said Barret. He turned to the others gathered on the deck—except for Yuffie, who was still on the outer deck praying she didn't lose her lunch. "C'mon, let's think about this! No way we can get offa this train we're on!"
"……If only Cloud were here, everything would be fine," said Tifa softly, just loud enough for the others to hear. "Cloud would… stand that cocky little way he did, and tell us what to do. He'd say 'Everything's under control, Tifa.'" She smiled at the memory.
"Tifa! When'd you become such a wimp!" snapped Barret.
Tifa came away from the window and turned to Barret. "I'm sorry Barret," she said. "I'm kind of shocked myself. I'm so depressed."
"And Tifa……" Barret added, his expression softening a little. "The reason why we all thought it was Cloud was because……"
"……I know," interrupted Tifa, cutting him off. She did not need Barret to remind her that it was because of her everyone believed that the spiky young blond with the glowing mako eyes was the real Cloud Strife. Even then, she was not totally convinced. "That's why I want to make sure. That's why I have to see him again."
"Cheer up, Tifa……" said Red XIII kindly.
"I want you to know I didn't dislike him," said Cid to Tifa, taking his half-smoked cigarette out from behind his ear and popping it in his mouth, holding it firmly between his teeth. "Gotta admit he was a strange dude. Just when you thought he was cool, he'd go and do some damn fool thing." He took out his lighter and lit the cigarette. "And when you thought he was smart, he'd show how stupid he was." He took a deep puff. "Everything about him from his movements to his speech were kinda odd. Knowin' what I do now, I can see why he was that way. Well, as long as you stay alive, you just might see him again someday, so cheer up, sis."
Tifa thought about what he said, and then nodded. "……I'll be able to see him again someday," she said, this time with more confidence.
Cid took his cigarette out of his mouth and pointed it at the ship's controls. A thin trail of smoke rose from the tip. "If we can find out where he is, the Highwind'll get us there in no time."
"……Maybe." Red XIII sat back on his hind legs and yawned widely. It had been a very long day. Even his flame-tipped tail refused to twitch—it was so exhausted. "Cloud is still stuck deep in the North Crater, where the ground cracked and swallowed him up. Buried in the depths of the underground……"
"Deep within the earth…" Tifa repeated. "…are you talking about the Lifestream?"
Red XIII nodded. "The Lifestream sometimes gushes out to the surface from cracks in the ocean floor. I heard that such a place exists. Maybe, just maybe Cloud's……"
The hound was cut short as the Highwind suddenly shuddered and dropped a few feet in the air. The young pilot operating the controls screeched and gripped onto the joystick hesitantly, bringing the airship back to level flight. "Waaaaaah!" the young pilot yelled. "Captain Cid!"
Cid sighed and put out his cigarette. He turned to Tifa. "Tifa, sorry, but I've gotta show this moron how to land the ship. Don't worry, it'll be done in a minute. Oh, and Tifa……" he added, giving Tifa a stern look. "No matter what your goal is, you've gotta be prepared. Go to your room and get ready for our operation."
So while Cid coached his new apprentice in the skills of piloting a large airship, Tifa left the deck and headed down to the conference room in the mid-section of the ship. There she sat in silence, her head in her hands, trying to decide where to begin in her search for Cloud.
Emerald: There we go. A slightly shorter chapter, but then the majority of the chapter is just Tifa babble. Apologies if she came out a little wimpy and OOC—it was hard trying to convey her grieving for Cloud without her being all soppy and 'Oh, Cloud, Cloud, wherefore art thou, Cloud?'