The Warrior

Chapter 21

It was an enlightening experience walking through crowds of people and observing their reactions to the General They were as varied as the people themselves, from the young to the old, to the beautiful and the homely. Men and woman, girls and boys – everyone knew him or knew of him. It's not like you could confuse him with someone else. Although there's always hair dye, Tifa supposed. And eye contacts. But you didn't just imitate that kind of presence – that was something you felt in your bones.

"Dude, it's really you! We should get a drink, man!"

"Some other time perhaps, when I'm not working."

"Can I have your autograph? Do you do autographs? This has to be the coolest thing that's ever happened to me."

"How unfortunate. Do you have a pen?"

"Oh my god, it's you! It's really you! I had a dream that we had like four kids and—"

"No."

A laugh burbled up Tifa's throat that she quickly stifled with a cough. It had not gone unnoticed by her companion, judging by the glower he gave her. They were like moths to a flame around him and he accepted them with more grace than she ever would have thought. Grant it, he'd probably had a lot of practice over the years.

"I'd forgotten this." He muttered as they waded through another group of admirers.

It was not her cup of tea and acting as his body guard proved ineffectual at best. She felt isolated in this sea of people, like the last island of sense, and quickly removed herself from it. A field of grass or a stand of trees would have been nice, but the porcelain doll shop booth would have to suffice for now.

In these moments the ache for home was impossibly deep.

Tifa wondered if any of these people would even care that the man they revered had done unspeakable things in a village that no one remembered anymore. They certainly wouldn't listen. But he was handsome and famous, and that was more than enough for most. They had no idea about the man himself.

That, she realized, was probably the saddest thing of all. He must have felt it too, all his life.

The martial artist sighed. Sitting by herself always brought out the worst of her psycho-analyzing. She was in for a long and arduous day of love declarations, autographs, and the even more lascivious offerings that she'd been trying hard to forget she'd ever had the misfortune of over hearing.

Yuffie was right. They'd be here forever.

It looked like the latest crowd was finally dispersing, but for one little boy. No older than 8 she guessed, and holding in his hand what could only be a Sephiroth plushi. The child's smile was so big there were lights dancing in his eyes, but no matter how his mother urged him to speak he couldn't seem to make a sound at the towering figure in black.

Sephiroth looked down at the child blankly, as if he didn't know what to do. They stared at one another for a long time. After it became clear that neither was avid to break the awkward silence, the General knelt slowly to the ground in front of him and extended his hand. The child's eyes widened and he looked up at his mother. When she gave him an encouraging nudge, he shuffled forward and extended his much smaller hand to his hero and they shook, his face very serious.

Then the General leaned down, murmuring something into his ear and the boy smiled, nodding his head vigorously. He awkwardly ruffled the boys hair as he stood and saluted the family as they moved on, toting their eagerly waving fan with them.

That no one else stopped him on his route to where Tifa had found sanctuary was a miracle at this point. It was probably unusual for him to work out in the open like this or he wouldn't have suggested it in the first place. Maybe he just missed getting out. It had been a while since Shin-Ra had sent him anywhere outside their training facility.

"I'm thinking this happens to you a lot." The martial artist ventured.

"Hn." Sephiroth was unwilling to elaborate, to which she may have laughed. He shot her a damning look for her trouble.

"I don't know how you do it." She confessed.

"A lack of choice plays an integral part."

"Maybe we should've left you behind." Tifa said.

A sigh. "Perhaps."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Speak to the Manager, Dio, and negotiate a trip down into the prison." Sephiroth explained mechanically.

"Mmhmm." Tifa acknowledged him, clearly distracted. There was this one doll she'd been looking at. It reminded her of Yuffie and it was awfully pretty. But it was porcelain and the price tag would likely reflect that. Yuffie was pretty tomboyish too so maybe—

"What are you so enamored by?" Sephiroth's exasperated voice broke through her inner musings like a train hitting a stack of hay bales. Hay and thoughts scattered to the wind.

She bolted upright (when had she leaned into the glass?) and blurted out, "I-I wasn't looking at anything." There was an embarrassed pause before she added, "Why? Did you say something?"

Sephiroth regarded her imperturbably.

"It's nothing, I swear!" His unyielding stare did not waver and she relented with a vague hand gesture at the culprit, "I was just looking at a doll. I thought maybe, you know, Yuffie might like it."

He seemed perplexed by this. "A doll?" Perhaps unconsciously he leaned around her, gazing into the display box in what might almost be mistaken for intrigue. "That one?" He pointed and looked at her.

The doll was wearing knee high lace up sneakers that matched Yuffie to a T, and an emerald green and white short kimono. Her umbrella was dangled over her shoulder almost haphazardly. It was pretty tomboyish. Maybe she would like it.

Tifa shook herself and promptly grabbed at his sleeve. "It's not important." She insisted. "We should really get going."

Sephiroth wasn't budging. "You're sure?" He asked pointedly.

"Yes! Completely, absolutely. Let's go."

"If you really wa—"

"Go. Now." This time when she tugged at his coat she used enough force to make him stumble. Her face felt abnormally warm as she tried to put as much distance between them and the doll shop as she could.

Wordlessly Sephiroth pulled her into a branching hall to avoid another confrontation with enamored fans. It was the first of many back alleys they took, keeping as much to the shadows as possible without looking too suspicious. He made no mention of the doll shop, but his frequent glances her way suggested that something was on his mind. They were just emerging from another short cut when the disaster struck, again.

"Oh my god, Shell, it's him!" The excitement emanating from that statement was unmistakable. They'd been caught from behind.

Sephiroth grimaced and Tifa couldn't help but mirror that sentiment. Giggling. Giggling everywhere. The martial artist cringed – was that a squeal?

"No way."

"Yes way! It is totally him." They were getting closer, despite the Generals vain attempt to hasten away from them. Tifa made the mistake of glancing back and was all but shoved aside in the rush of bodies. There were three of them, all probably in their late teens.

Didn't they know he was like 30? On second thought she was barely 20 so who was she kidding?

Tifa sighed as her companion was quickly dragged to a halt and promptly surrounded. His eyes were casting about until they found her. She shrugged helplessly. His look was faintly pleading, before it was interrupted by a dainty hand waving in his face.

One of the girls was fondling his coat. He tried to move away, only to find another at his hair, her eyelashes fluttering so fast she might have been having a seizure. They were clearly having the time of their lives and popping out questions like an automatic rifle.

The Martial Artist almost laughed. She'd never seen him so flustered.

Sephiroth muttered something that she didn't quite catch and then all of a sudden everyone was staring at her. There was awe in those pretty eyes, and no small amount of disappointment; perhaps even some resentment. Tifa felt a cold trickle down her back.

One of the girls turned back to him and said loudly, "I don't believe it."

Sephiroth leveled the girl with a look that could be categorized as deadly, but she was as unfazed as only the truly fanatical could be in the presence of their idol. Her eyes had not left him once during the exchange and she was clearly waiting for an answer. The others eventually looked at him too, waiting.

Then his lips started to frame a smirk and all of a sudden Tifa felt the unbidden urge to flee. Knowing that she couldn't in good conscious abandon him, she stood her ground, warily.

"Would you mind Tifa?" His voice carried with a velvety undertone as he gazed at her and with a sweep of his hand said, "They would like a demonstration."

They're they were again, all staring at her. Her skin prickled a little as she reluctantly walked over and the girls moved aside. He was looking at her in a way that sent shivers up and down her spine. He'd never looked at her that way.

"What kind of demonstration?" She eyed him suspiciously.

There was no misunderstanding the look he gave her. It made her heart beat too fast and her pulse race. Then he was looming over her, unbearably close, and before she could even give the remotest thought as to what to do he was kissing her fervently, in front of everyone. It was the most perfect thing she'd ever felt in her life.

Her brain became pleasantly fuzzy and her knees weak. A small part of her insisted that she should stop, but his lips were soft and warm the way they caressed hers, and so very inviting. She was terrified and exhilarated all at once. She'd forgotten to breath through her nose and...were those her fingers buried in his hair?

When he finally pulled away Tifa was left reeling. All sense of time evaporated and she stared dazedly up at him, a confusion of desire and uncertainty clouding her face. The smile he gave her was different, almost happy, but so small and fleeting. He reached out, drawing her against him, and looked back at their gawking audience expectantly.

"Satisfied?"

"I'm pretty convinced." One said and she gave Tifa what could only have been a nod of approval.

The Martial Artist found herself burying her face in his coat. She was a ripe red tomato of mortification, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't smiling just a little too.

"Well shit." Another girl said. "I'm gonna go get some chocolate ice cream. Have fun."

The third lingered for a moment, a sulky tilt to her mouth, but Sephiroth was no longer paying her any attention.. Eventually she turned to join her friends, walking away with an exaggerated gait that was dangerously close to dislocating a hip.

Tifa felt reality come back into focus and finally noticed the rest of their audience. They had been watching the entire time. She paled.

"What is it?" He looked down at her shrewdly.

"Huh?" She made of show of being distracted as she glanced back at him. He'd kissed her in the middle of the Golden Saucer in front of dozens of people. A tight ball of shame was forming in her gut.

"You are being absurdly dense if you really believe my only reason to kiss you was to get them off my back."He said bluntly.

Tifa flushed harder and started to pull away. He stopped her.

"Don't." Sephiroth murmured. "Please."

"People are watching." She whispered uncomfortably, eyes darting around like a trapped rabbit.

"Does it bother you?" He asked, curious.

"I..." His thumb was rubbing circles against her hip, which was terribly distraction when trying to formulate a intelligible response. "Yes it bothers me!" She cried softly. "I feel like I'm on display."

"That was not my intention." He professed in earnest.

Whatever Tifa might have said was quickly interrupted by the thunder of running boots and urgent shouting. Yuffie and Chaka came to a skidding halt in front of them, hands on their knees, and words pouring out faster than their brains could put them together coherently. They were both talking at once, pointing fingers and waving hands, which evolved into a wild argument over who had said or seen what, and somebody was as blind as a dung beetle, to which it was vehemently retorted that dung beetles saw just fine.

Through all of this she had managed to pick out the words Cloud, prison, Shin-Ra, keystone and filthy, traitorous moogle bot. The atmosphere of their panic suggested something bad.

Sephiroth raised his voice just once, beckoning for quiet, and the silence that followed was almost a physical presence. There was not a twitch or fidget to be seen between the two. It was the most poise she'd ever seen them display within each others presence since they'd been introduced.

"Chaka."

"Why'd you pick him first?!"

But nothing lasts forever.

Sephiroth shot Wutai's princess a withering look before settling his attention back on the other man, "Explain. From the top, if you will."

Chaka took a deep breath, "Well we were in the arcade, ya? And next thing we know, there's a ruckus going on outside and people are yelling and screaming, and there's gun fire, so we run over to check it out and it's a shit storm. Turks everywhere, Shin-Ra soldiers and one of Reeve's goddamn moogle bots – I'd swear on my life it was one of Reeve's. He's the one that's into toys right?" He stopped for a second. "That came out all kinds of wrong–anyway, there's Cloud too. Nobody has hair like that, ay?"

"It was totally Cloud." Yuffie chimed in.

"And an orange cat, and the girl in the pink dress, and they were itching for a fight until the moogle bot totally just runs off with the keystone. I guess they thought he was a friendly, but it's Reeve and he's still so far buried up Shin-Ra's—"

"Where did they go?" Sephiroth interrupted quickly.

"They left! In a buggy I think. At least, that's what I heard the cat say. They're chasing after the Turks, who are going to the Temple of the Ancients with the keystone as we speak."

"Why?" Tifa looked stricken. "What could the Turks possibly want with the black materia?"

"The President is looking for the Promise Land." Sephiroth bit out with an uncharacteristic sneer.

"Situation normal-"

"All fucked up." Yuffie finished.

Chaka swatted her shoulder, "Quit swearing."

"Yeah? Fuck off—ouch!"

He had her in a headlock, grinning with some effort as Yuffie was fighting against him. Sephiroth lifted a hand to his temples and sighed. Some days it just didn't pay to be a leader.

"Shouldn't we be going after them then?"

"What about Vinnie?" Yuffie stopped in her struggling long enough to voice her question.

"Vinnie?" Chaka looked ready to gag himself. "I can't wait to see you call him that to his face."

"I will find him." Sephiroth answered. "The rest of you get back to the ship. Make sure Cid is ready to take off." He sped off the way Yuffie and Chaka had come, hair whipping behind him.

The others looked at one another tentatively. Then they looked at Tifa.

"What?" She asked.

"Well, which way is it?" Chaka asked.

"Which way is what?" Tifa blinked.

"The exit!" Yuffie said, as if it were obvious. "Don't you remember?"

A niggling of dread was growing somewhere in the base of Tifa's stomach. Did she remember? Actually, she was quite certain she didn't. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. They'd taken so many twists and turns that she could no sooner find a gray hair among all of Sephiroth's silver than back track the route they'd taken in getting here.

"You don't." The ninja's face fell dramatically.

"We zig zagged the entire way!" Tifa reasoned.

"Well shit." Chaka scratched at his smattering of chin hair, one eye squinted.

"There must be a map somewhere or at least signs telling people how to get around." Tifa said and without further ado set off. "All we have to do is find one."

And they did. Several. Unfortunately marketing being as it is the signs that lead back to the entrance also bypassed every major attraction in the facility. The crowds were unlike anything Tifa had ever seen. At one point someone suggested a shortcut which incidentally had lead them onto a stage in front of 50 people. Chaka and Yuffie got a standing ovation for their artistic interpretation of violent kick dancing. Tifa smiled and waved nervously at the crowd, wondering how on earth she'd come by such ridiculous friends.

When they finally emerged from the debacle Yuffie was toting a bouquet of freshly cut flowers and Chaka had himself a Sephiroth plushi. He seemed torn between divesting himself of the emasculating toy and keeping it for something nefarious.

"I think I see the exit." Tifa announced suddenly, looking ahead and to the right.

"Finally!" Yuffie struck out ahead at a brisk run, threading the sea of people like a fish.

"And she's gone." Chaka sighed.

They eventually caught up with their companion, who had forgotten in her haste what lay ahead of them; the cable car. When they found her she was prostrate on the floor, praying.

"You're kidding, right ya?"

Yuffie jerked up at the sound of her nemesis's voice and gave a scathing retort, "You would be too if these were your last minutes to live!"

Chaka clapped her on the back. "You'll be fine."

The young ninja grumbled something that Tifa didn't catch. She was busy trying to find the end of the line to the cable car, which was not as easy as it should have been.

"Good grief, it's going to take us an hour just to get out of here." She mumbled, taking stock of the extensive line that they were going to the back of. "You'd think people would lose their taste for merry going after a slue of murders took place here."

"Nah, humans are scum." Yuffie declared nonchalantly. "A good slaughter now and then gets 'em all hot to trot about living and stuff. They'd forget how without it."

Tifa sighed inwardly. "That's not very encouraging, Yuffie."

"I'm not saying I agree." The ninja shrugged.

"On a brighter note, look what I won in the arcade!" Chaka announced, displaying a shiny silver bangle around his wrist. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Psh, ribbons are way better. Should've won 5 special battles in the battle arena, slacker."

"The battle arena is closed."

"Who snowboards anyway?"

"You just don't like that you suck at it and I don't."

"Oh yeah?! Well maybe if we do some real snowboarding we'll see who really sucks!"

"You're on."

"Guys?" Tifa interrupted lightly, baffled that two people could maintain a conversation, albeit a somewhat hostile one, seemingly 24/7.

"Huh?" Chaka stopped mid stream and twisted around.

Yuffie was raising the bet to 3000 gil, which Tifa was fairly certain she didn't possess.

"You've got an audience." The martial artist indicated to a number of onlookers.

The subject of snowboarding was dropped and the proceeded to wait in aggravated silence. It took about 20 minutes. By then Yuffie was starting to look a little green around the edges. To make matters worse, the cable car was packed. Tifa felt claustrophobic as soon as she stepped on board. The ninja had taken up position by the window and at the first lurch she almost fell out said window in her haste not to vomit all over the floor. Fortunately Chaka had her by the back of her vest.

"I told you not to eat the chilly cheese fries." He admonished.

"But I love...chilly...cheese fries." The girl was strongly diminished in her sickened state, half dead looking as she leaned into the wall, face pale and limbs shaking.

The rest of the passengers had pressed themselves as far against the opposite walls as possible, watching the proceedings in various states of alarm. There were a few sympathetic faces among them, but no one was stepping forward to volunteer assistance. Not that there was much anyone could do at this point.

Yuffie had three more unfortunate visits from her earlier lunch before they reached the bottom, the last bout being mostly dry heaves. A sheen of sweat glistened across the girl's forehead as she stumbled out of the box car and nearly collapsed in the dirt. Chaka caught her just in time. Together, he and Tifa helped the princess to her feet.

An oppressive silence had stolen over the group and Tifa felt an overwhelming need to lighten the mood as they walked. "I had this really weird dream the other day," She took a breath, "that someone had braided my hair and Sephiroth's hair together while we were asleep"

"Whaaat?" Yuffie slurred, craning her neck around. It was the first time she'd made any acknowledgment of anything since getting in the cable car.

"Woah, what's this about you and the General sleeping together?" Chaka perked up.

"It was a dream Chaka." Tifa retorted flatly.

He winked at her.

Yuffie groaned.

A worry line appeared across Tifa's forehead. "Are you sure this is just motion sickness?"

"She probably got food poisoning." Chaka shook his head. "Come on kid," he coaxed, "Just a little farther."

Tifa really wished now that she'd gotten the damn doll.

Once on board the ship Chaka volunteered to put Wutai's princess to bed and maybe find something to bring down the nausea, which left Tifa to breaking the news to Cid. Hopefully everything was ready. One thing was absolutely certain; there would be a string of profanities involved.

Tifa found the pilot on the bridge gnawing away at another cigarette. She was beginning to wonder if he just preferred eating his tobacco over smoking it. The thought made her a little queasy.

"Heya, Tif." He hollered from the controls. "Back already?"

"Cloud and the flower girl escaped the golden saucer and are chasing the Turks to the Temple of the Ancients. Sephiroth says to be ready to leave now." She said.

"Now?!"

Here it comes.

"Well goddamn if that ain't the best fuckin' news I've heard all day. I'm ready to get out of this shit hole." He made a violent gesture with his hand, "Dust all over the fuckin' place.

"All the parts are in?" Tifa asked.

"Of course they're in!" Cid answered indignantly. "You're talkin' to Cid Highwind, ma'am. He don't mess around." And he flashed her an oafish grin.

Tifa let out a sigh of relief. She'd done her part. Not that there was much to do, but they did get back before Sephiroth and the ship was going to be ready.

"You hungry?"

She paused, taken aback. "I'm starving actually." She said, a little surprise.

"There's a tuna sandwich in the mini fridge over there. Help yourself." He said. "You're not allergic to onions are ye?"

"Nope." Tifa smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Tifa retrieved the sandwich and headed for the deck to look for Chaka. She found him coming back from the crew quarters. "Did you find anything?"

Chaka shook his head balefully. "We'll have to stop somewhere I think. She's asleep now." His eyes lightened on her sandwich, "Where'd ya get that?"

"Cid." She replied. "Up on the bridge. I think I saw another one in the fridge. You'll have to ask him if it's up for grabs though."

"He's got a fridge on the bridge?"

"Apparently." She took a bite, chewing methodically, and gave a nod of approval. "It's pretty good."

The lanky soldier licked his lips. "I will see you later then." And bolted up the stairs.

They really needed to do something about their food situation. A grocery stop was probably in order and they could maybe pick up some first aid supplies, although convincing Sephiroth of that didn't sound like a fun experience. He would be chomping at the bit to get after the keystone.

But catching the Turks wouldn't do them any good if they were all half dead.

"This is a doll shop." Vincent deadpanned.

Sephiroth said nothing as he approached the counter, a grave expression set to his face.

The woman behind the counter fidgeted on her stool, quickly readjusting her glasses. "May I help you?"

"The Wutai Princess doll. I would like to purchase it."

There was an almost inaudible sound from behind him. It was a moment before it registered that Vincent appeared to be choking. Sephiroth cast him a disparaging look and turned back around to the shop owner.

"The Wutai Princess?" She looked like a guppy.

"That is what I said."

"It is a limited edition doll..." She hedged.

Sephiroth promptly dumped a pile of gil onto the counter top.

"O-of course, sir, right away sir." As he suspected, the sight of cold hard cash always got a businessman moving. Or in this case, a businesswoman. She returned shortly with the doll in hand. "Just let me wrap it up for you. Don't want it breaking. They're quite fragile you know."

The General glared at the back of the woman's head, but she paid no heed. Vincent had gone to stand outside, probably to avoid any possible association with the transaction going on within.

"Here you are dear!" The shopkeeper had even gone to the trouble of gift wrapping it. "For that special lady." She winked.

"It's not—oh hell." He grabbed the box, bid the woman a curt farewell, and high tailed it out. "Let's go." He said as he swept passed the caped man.

Getting out was significantly faster than coming in had been. Vincent possessed an abnormal talent at jumping, much like Sephiroth, which enabled them to take a more inconspicuous route above the throngs of theme park goers, much to the General's relief. The notion of fending of rabid fangrils without Tifa's delightful assistance was frightening - he was not kissing Vincent for all the money in the world. They would probably find it titillating anyway.

Sephiroth cringed a little.

Vincent regarded him quizzically, but said nothing.

"Don't ask." The other said.

Sephiroth had thought the worst was over, but that was before they realized that the cable car back to the ground was going to be packed with people. It was like something from a nightmare. They tried to stand back in the corner, but there was no going unnoticed for someone as famous as the General. They hadn't been in motion for more than a minute before someone started talking.

"Wow, so how come you're riding down with the rest of the peons? Don't people like you get special treatment?" It was a snarky young man with a sour look that was probably a permanent accessory to his face.

The General did not justify such an inane question with a response.

"I bet the chicks are all over you. Bet you've got some epic stories to tell about that, eh?" He snickered.

Sephiroth was two seconds away from throwing him out the window. One more word and it was sayonara.

The boy's mouth had started to open when there was a sudden yank on Sephiroth's scalp and he let a startled hiss of pain. The girl whose hair accessory his was now stuck in finally stopped and turned around, realizing now that something was pulling on her head. "Oh my god, I am so sorry!"

Mercifully, the young man did not speak again and the girl hastily removed his hair from the butterfly hair clip with trembling hands, apologizing profusely the entire time. It took some convincing for her to believe that he wasn't going to exact punishment, but she did eventually leave him alone. The rest of the ride down was blissfully quiet and uneventful.

On the way back to the ship Sephiroth made a solemn vow never to go out in public again. Vincent trailed behind him, the faintest of smiles hidden behind his cloak collar.

A vigorous debate was going on up at the bridge when Sephiroth and Vincent arrived. Yuffie was surprisingly absent, but Tifa, Chaka and Cid were there mulling over a map. They all turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and a brief smile flitted across the martial artist's face.

"Is everything ready?" Sephiroth asked.

"We're all set." Cid gave a mock salute. "Just give the word."

"Good. Get us out of here."

"Aye sir. Got a destination in mind?"

Chaka brought the map over and pointed at a town site that read 'Cosmo Canyon'. "Cloud and company will probably stop here for provisions. It's at least a 3 day trip to the Temple. We could use some provisions too."

Sephiroth took the map from the other man, examining it through squinted eyes. "Cloud is no longer a priority." He said. "Right now we must focus on getting the keystone. If the Turks reach the Temple with it before we do, they will have the black materia. We don't want that to happen."

"We still need provisions though." Tifa implore. "We could stop at Cosmo Canyon and take a look around while we're at it."

He considered this for a moment and nodded. "As long as it's brief. We can't afford many delays."

"Did I hear Cosmo Canyon?"Cid called from the controls.

"Yes." Answered Sephiroth.

The pilot regarded him shrewdly, "And is that your final answer?"

A violent crushing of paper resonated throughout the bridge. A manic gleam had come to the General's eyes, the map now a mangled ball between his hands.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Tifa regarded the silver haired man worriedly as she approached and slowly removed the map from his now loose grasp. "Maybe you should get something to eat and get some rest?"

"I hate people."

"Hate is a waste of time and energy." She chastised gently and smiled.

He looked down at her, "I nearly threw someone out the window of the cable car. While we were still in the air."

"What stopped you?"

"My hair got caught on a girl's butterfly hair clip."

Now in Tifa's defense, she tried valiantly to keep her composer, but Chaka was standing just a few feet away and he made no attempt at tact. He busted out in guffaws and the expression on Sephiroth's face was simply too much. She couldn't stop the violent onslaught of laughter.

"You're not helping." He admonished bleakly.

"I'm sorry." She was literally gasping for air.

"Maybe you should braid it!" Chaka chortled and nudged Tifa's shoulder.

Tifa went abruptly silent and was looking at the tall black man murderously, to which he resumed laughing uncontrollably.

Sephiroth scowled back and forth between them. "What is wrong with you two?!"

Chaka was still having trouble breathing. He waved his hand dismissively and beat a hasty retreat from the bridge,

"I'm going to kill him." Tifa swore after his retreating back.

Sephiroth crossed his arms, "Do tell."

She huffed. "It's bad enough I told him!"

The long, patient silence was breaking her down. He stood as still as stone, watching her. That damn sardonic look still on his face.

"It was just a dream I had." She confessed with a groan. "It's not important."

"That's what you said earlier at the doll shop."

"Well it wasn't!" She insisted.

"That's too bad," He lamented and produced from the folds of his coat a neatly wrapped box, "because I stopped by to get it on my way out."

Tifa gasped into her hand, "You didn't!" Her eyes flitted from his face to the box and back to his face. "Oh my god you did."

"And just where is our erstwhile princess?" Sephiorth inquired.

"She's asleep downstairs. She got really sick on the trip back. We think she might have gotten food poisoning from something she ate at the Golden Saucer." She explained and then gushed out rapidly, "I'm...this is...thank you so much! Maybe it will help cheer her up." Her brow furrowed, "But how can I ever repay you?"

"It is a gift."

Tifa appeared dismayed by this. "But I can never afford a gift of equal value."

"You will never owe me anything, Tifa." He murmured and pressed the box into her hand.

Author's Note: It's finally here! I've taken many creative liberties with the original game's plot flow, as well as the structure of the Highwind and the world map, because I can't really remember specifics. But it's late and I'm too tired and I've taken way too damn long to write this chapter.