Update: For those of you unfortunate enough to have seen it, there was a review from a user who named himself after a hate group. And he left a review that was literally a bunch of racist nonsense. I could't remove it because I had to go to work, but luckily both the review and account have been deleted.

Just want to make it clear in case anything like that happens again, but that kind of stuff is not only unacceptable, but not welcome here. Racism and the idea of racial superiority is stupid, backwards, and something I want no part of. I will block and/or report anyone who disagrees just because I don't car enough to deal with that.

With that out of the way, feel free to enjoy the story.

When Tifa woke up, the first thing she took notice of was her environment. She was in an unfamiliar room with oak walls, a dark ceiling, and soft light shining on her from an overhead lamp. The bed she was in had white sheets and a very comfortable mattress.

The comfort was fortunate, because the second thing she realized was how sore her body was. Her back felt like it was stitched back up after a knife had been run down her spine, her arms like they had been twisted like wet rags, and her legs like both her knees had taken hammers.

She didn't have any injuries, but she could think of one reason why she felt like this.

The portal.

It all happened so fast after Shinra dropped the plate. She, Barret, and Cloud all decided to storm Shinra Tower and save Aerith. They got captured but managed to escape. That was when they realized that Sephiroth was an even bigger threat to the world than anyone imagined.

Tifa still didn't know all the specifics about the portal. Aerith had said that passing through it would be the first step towards destiny. Tifa hadn't thought much of it, she just wanted to stop Sephiroth. But walking through that portal was the last thing that she could remember. Everything else was a blur.

A bark brought her back to the present.

"Notte! What is it?"

That voice wasn't familiar to her. It sounded like a male, maybe a young one. It was accompanied by a barking dog. And both sounds are getting closer.

"I'll let you in, Notte. But I don't want her disturbed."

When the door was opened, Tifa could see that she was right. The person who was holding the knob did seem to be younger than her. He seemed to be tanned from the sun. Based on that and the bow and the quiver of arrows on his back, she assumed he hunted. He also had dark hair with dark eyes. Eyes that widened when they met hers.

"You're awake."

Based on how he said it, it sounded like Tifa hadn't been for a while. Something she caught note of.

"I am. Where am I, exactly?"

The boy seemed frozen for a moment. During that time, he only stared at her, his mouth open and his eyes didn't leave her face. But he caught himself quickly enough.

"Right. You're in my home. I found you in the woods a few days ago. You were alone, and you wouldn't wake up."

"There was no one else with me?"

"No. At least no one else I could see. Were there supposed to be others with you?"

"I was traveling with my friends," Tifa explained. Worry was creeping into her voice, and she held her hands together to try and calm herself. "I don't know where they're at."

The boy's face morphed to a frown of his own. He was upset that he couldn't offer her any comfort about this situation. He genuinely didn't know how to.

Thankfully for both of them, the dog did. Sensing the discomfort in the room, Notte took it upon herself to climb up on the bed and approach Tifa. At first concerned about the fuzzy black canine that was nudging at her hands, Tifa soon found her smiling and petting the dog to feel better. The laugh that left her mouth when it started to lick her fingers was genuine.

"Glad to see she likes you," the boy said as stooped just in front of the bed. "I'm Julio, by the way."

Her mood lifted a tiny bit, Tifa returned the greeting.

"Tifa Lockhart," she said with a smile. "Thank you for letting me rest here. But if you don't mind my asking, where is here?"

Surprisingly, Julio chuckled at the question.

"That's… a more complicated question to answer than you might think."

Tifa raised a brow, expecting to get one anyway. But before Julio could say anything, something started to beep. When he pulled something that looked like an old watch out of his pocket, he looked at it with agitation before shutting it off.

"Shoot. Almost time."

Julio put the device back in his pocket and made for the door. But he did stop to address Tifa before going.

"There's something I need to do. You can make yourself comfortable, walk around if you feel fine. Notte can stay here to keep you company. I'll be back and explain everything soon."

"What? Julio, where are you…?"

"Gotta go! Sorry! Bye."

He closed the door as he left. Leaving a confused Tifa with a happy dog in bed.

"This better not be a bad idea."

That was the only thing Julio could think about as he took his last step off the ladder and onto the forest ground. This wasn't just the first time he left his underground home in a week, but it was also the first time in years he had done it with company in mind.

The forest Julio took his residence in was a simple one. Trees, grass, birds and other animals took up the space, and they gave him plenty of protection along with food to hunt. Shinra never ventured far out here, making it the perfect place to hide out. He almost never had company.

Almost.

Thinking about that brought him back to the issue of his new guest. If Julio was being honest, the fact that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen was the main reason he had noticed her. But the fact that she had been unconscious and probably lost was the main reason he took her to his guest room. His father likely wouldn't have approved, telling him it was an unnecessary risk.

He probably would have compared him to his mother after that.

Shaking those thoughts away, Julio took the bow from his back and an arrow from his quiver. The alarm he had set up would get him ready fifteen minutes ahead of when game animals usually started to come out of their hiding spots.

If he was lucky, he might be able to catch enough rabbits to make stew for two.

And then he could get the answers he needed.

Meanwhile…

Tifa became suspicious when she realized that there wasn't a single window in the room.

She had noticed it when she woke up, but it wasn't until Julio left that she was able to ponder on it further. She didn't mistrust Julio, but the fact was that she had just met him. He said that wanted to help, and she wanted to believe that. But Sephiroth had been hailed as a hero to the world during her childhood. And she remembered what he did.

It took some strength, but Tifa was able to get herself out of the bed and onto her feet. She had to hold on to the front rail to stay standing, but she was up.

Her standing up had worried the dog.

"It's alright. I'm, hm, fine."

Forcing herself to believe that, Tifa stood up on both feet, but took the weight off of her left foot. It felt the most numb, so Tifa had to hop on her right for the time being.

Notte, who was trained to notice distress in people, was wagging her tail worriedly as Tifa stood up. Mostly out of concern for the woman's safety.

"It's ok. Hey, it's ok. I'm fine."

Tifa petted the dog's head to try and convince it the way she was trying to convince herself. She did manage to get the adorable patch of dark fuzz to calm down, and it instead adorably hovered around her legs. Seemingly ready at a moment's notice to comfort her if she needed it.

At that moment, Tifa decided that if Julio turned out to be dangerous or murderous, she was taking the dog with her.

Putting that thought aside, Tifa focused on making herself move. Every step felt like the heels of her feet were being stabbed by heated needles, but the pain was dulling with each subsequent pace. The more she moved, the less it hurt to do.

With the issue of her feet taken care of, Tifa moved on to the next one. Namely, she had to find out where she was.

As she got closer to the door, Notte started to get a bit more anxious. Tifa noticed.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you. I'm just going to take a look outside."

Opening the door, Tifa hoped to start looking for answers. And instead got more questions.

The walls were all made of dirt. And the lights were all coming from lamps that were wired to the ceiling made of stone. There were other doors with rooms, but there were also tunnels that led to places that Tifa couldn't see. They were encased in darkness.

This wasn't a house. It looked more like a cave.

"Am I underground?"

It would make sense given what Tifa was seeing. But it didn't explain why she was here. Or why Julio would be here. Why would anyone live here?

There was no mistaking that it was certainly lived in. There was furniture scattered around, like tables and chairs near the doors. There were pictures of people Tifa didn't recognize hung on the dirt walls. One of the people, a younger boy held by two adults, was probably Julio. He didn't look all that different, and he did resemble his father if he was in the photo. Though his mother, with brown hair and lighter skin, was a pretty woman.

But the strangest thing that Tifa saw everywhere in the underground home system was all the target boards held up on the walls and doors. There were a concerning number of them, with Tifa losing count after ten. And each of them had something lodged in. Whether they be darts, throwing stars, arrows, or knives.

But most surprising was the fact that each of them was hit in the center. Not a single item strayed any further than the one circle in the middle.

Was it Julio that did that? Or was someone else down here?

"Well, aside from you," Tifa said as she bent down to pet the dog again. The wagging tail helped to alleviate her concerns a bit, and let her relax enough to focus on what she came out to do. She had a tenuous idea of where she was.

Now she needed to know if she was safe.

The only way she could think to do that was by looking into the rooms. She had no idea when Julio would return, so she was going to have to do it quickly. There was five rooms not counting hers, so she started with the one that was right next to where hers had been.

That room was a bathroom. Aside from knowing where she could bathe and relieve herself, that room didn't help with much.

The next room was one further down on the same side. And it seemed to be a kitchen. There was a table, a refrigerator, some cabinets dug into the walls, and a sink for dishes. Aside from checking for food in the fridge, Tifa didn't find much in there.

Going to the other wall, Tifa started to check the doors there. And the first one was biggest surprise.

Mainly because it was the biggest space she had seen here so far. It was the size of two garage's being mixed together. She saw tables with metal, power tools, and long tires set up. There were more target practice boards. And there was even a TV. Tifa didn't know if this was a safe spot, but it was interesting. There didn't seem to be anything illegal. It seemed like the sort of thing she would find at a bodyshop.

Deciding to focus on this later, Tifa closed the door and went to the next one.

Or she would have, if the door wasn't bolted shut. She pulled and yanked, but the knob refused to budge. She couldn't make it move at all.

Hearing the whines, Tifa stopped to comfort the dog who had been next to her the entire time. Her struggle with the door must have upset her, so Tifa decided that she would check back on it later.

That only left one door left to review. And it wasn't locked.

From the moment she opened the door, Tifa felt that she may have overstepped her bounds.

It was instantly obvious that this room was Julio's. Not only because there were arrows and a makeshift quiver, but because one of the two beds was literally signed with his initial.

But it was the second bed that caught Tifa's eyes. It was covered in different items that didn't mean anything to her. There was a computer keyboard, two wedding rings, a necklace, and… a newspaper article.

Her interest piqued, Tifa walked over and picked up the cut piece of paper. And what she read clarified a lot of her questions.

Shinra Facility Ransacked. Former Employee Suspected

The article was all about how a former employee of the world's dominant company had not only stolen data and sent it to Wutai, but he had also caused a fight that injured many security officers in an attempt to escape.

Reading the date, Tifa saw that it happened a few years ago. She had still been living in her father's home at that time. So it made sense she didn't hear about it. But that left one question in her mind.

If Julio's father had been the one behind everything, the reason he and his son had to live down here, then where was he?

"You can walk now?"

Jumping slightly, Tifa turned around to see Julio staring at her. There were also two dead rabbits attached to a rope in his hand. Rabbits that the dog went to go and smell.

"Not now Notte, I have to….

Julio froze when he saw the paper in Tifa's hand. Unfortunately, Tifa recognized the thoughts in his mind. She had felt them herself after she had to leave her childhood home.

The lack of belief, the gradual acceptance, until finally all that remained was the longing to see them again.

But before Tifa could offer any condolences, Julio spoke up.

"Hungry?"

Later…

The stew was good. It took a few hours for Julio to skin the rabbits and get the meat ready to boil alongside the vegetables, but the wait was worth it in Tifa's opinion. It was one of the nicest meals she had in a long time.

Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same about the company. Not because Julio was rude or anything like that, but because neither of them could say a word to each other. The information Tifa had learned seemed to be a sore subject, and Tifa felt a little guilty for bringing it up.

"Do you like it?"

Julio, being the host, felt he should at least try to lighten the mood a bit. He did feel glum at the reminder of why he lived alone, but it wasn't something he could blame Tifa for. He would have been suspicious as well of someone keeping him in their home. And she had a right to know why her samaritan might be out of the ordinary.

But emotions were a fickle thing. And understanding the situation didn't make it feel better.

Thankfully, Tifa seemed to notice. So she also tried to keep up the attempt at lightness.

"It's very good. One of the best meals I've had in some time. Thank you."

"Oh. I'm glad to hear that. Thank you."

"Of course. Do you always make food this good?"

"Well, I don't know about that. But since no one else is around, I have.. You know…"

Tifa wanted to kick herself. She had been trying to avoid bringing that up.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to…"

"It's fine. I don't think we could have gone long without mentioning it anyway," Julio admitted. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably before adding: "Do you… want to know anything else?"

Tifa's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?"

"I mean, neither of us know how long you'll be staying. So it would be fair for you to know why I live here. Do you want to know?"

Tifa thought about it.

"I do."

Julio opened his mouth, but Tifa spoke first.

"But do you want to know how I ended up here first?"

Julio frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"Like you said. It's only fair."

By the time Tifa finished telling her story, Julio's face hadn't changed much. He did stop her at a few points to ask some questions, but he mostly just sat in his chair and listened to her tail. From her start at Nibelheim, her training under Rashard, her tragedy that cost her father, her life in Midgar, and finally the portal.

She didn't tell him everything yet. She wasn't sure he would believe the details about Sephiroth and the undermining of destiny. And other aspects of her life that didn't need explanation were left unsaid.

At the end, Julio seemed to just be contemplating the story she had told him.

"So Shinra's just a jackass to everyone huh?"

That was unexpected.

"I'm sorry?"

"They shot my dad to death when they saw him a few years later cause he wanted other people to know the crimes they were committing. They get yours killed because he was in the wrong place. It's almost like they enjoy making orphans."

Julio took a sip of his drink.

"And then those orphans go on to make problems for them. Making them jackasses and dumbasses."

Tifa blinked at his response. But then she couldn't help herself but smile.

"Yes. I suppose they are."

Laughter was a good way to break the ice. And the two could now be a bit more comfortable with one another.

With the subject of dead fathers passed, Tifa used the opportunity to pursue a different conversation. One that had been on her mind.

"So I've been wondering, why are there so many target boards down here? I've seen so many."

"That was my dad making sure we wouldn't go soft," Julio explained. "Both of us were pretty good marksmen, and he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. Whatever we had on hand, he made sure we practiced at every opportunity."

"It seems a bit obsessive."

"I won't disagree. But when survival depends on aim, you have to keep it sharp. Hence the stew."

"Fair point," Tifa agreed. "So how good are you?"

Julio's brow furrowed as he considered her question.

"I don't know actually. My dad's the only person I've ever had to compare to. And I've never been in any competition."

"Why don't we find out then?" Tifa said as she finished her stew. "I saw a lot of boards hung up in the large room. Why don't you give me a demonstration?"

It was a simple request. But it also complicated the emotions Julio was feeling.

He wasn't normally this open and jovial with other people. He tended not to have guests. But not only was Tifa one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, but her personality and overall vibe made her impossible not to love.

And it gave him the sudden urge to impress her.

"Alright. I can show you what I've got."

Once his meal was finished, Julio walked beside Tifa to the garage room (he called it that because it reminded him of his old garage). Once they were there, their sights were set on the five boards that were set up standing on top of a table. There were throwing knives set up at the end.

"You want to try first? See where you stand?" Julio asked.

"Alright."

Tifa picked up five knives and began to feel their weight. And once she felt good about them in her fingers, she took ten paces away from the boards and aimed.

All in all, she didn't do too bad. None of the knives hit a bullseye, but each of them got pretty close. One of her throws was only off by an inch.

"Hey, that's not bad. Especially for someone who has never done this," Julio said honestly. He was glad when Tifa smiled at him.

"You're up."

Suddenly filled with a desire to impress, Julio decided to show off a little bit. He took the knives out of the boards and began to walk away from them. But unlike Tifa, he took twenty paces away from the boards. And he didn't turn to face them.

"Julio, what are you…?"

Julio threw the first knife over his shoulder. And he hit it directly in the center.

Tifa stood there stunned. She had been to a carnival once, and she knew that knife throwing was a skill. But she had never seen someone make such an accurate shot. Especially while turned around.

Her shock only increased when he proceeded to throw the other knives with just as much accuracy. All while his eyes never darted to the boards. Once the last knife impaled the bullseye, he turned to Tifa with a slightly smug look.

"Not too bad, huh?"

Tifa was still shocked, so it took a moment for her to be able to respond.

"How.. How did you do that? I've never seen marksmanship like that before."

"Practice, you know? My dad made me do it everyday. I got better at it over time."

Tifa had her doubts. But then again, her skills in martial arts were something she built up over time. She wasn't born great.

But speaking of her martial arts she suddenly had an idea to balance the scales. She wasn't normally a competitive person. But seeing Julio decimate her in knife throwing made Tifa want to reassert herself. She was older and more experienced, and she wanted Julio to know.

"That's really good. But do you know anything about fighting?"

Caught a little off guard by the sudden question, Julio answered.

"I know a few wrestling moves. But I mostly try to keep a distance. Why?"

Tifa smiled.

"Because now I can show off my skills. Try to get a grip on me."

"What?" Julio exclaimed. His face was a little red, but Tifa attributed that to shock. "I don't think…"

"Don't worry. You won't be able to do anything to me," Tifa said with a knowing smirk.

His interest piqued and his pride slightly jaded, Julio tentatively nodded. He walked behind her and tried to find an angle. He slowly and carefully tried to get his hands around her exposed abdomen. The warmth coming from her skin was not helping.

"So what do I….?"

Julio couldn't finish his question. In one move, in one second, Tifa had him on his back on the ground. It was so fast that he could barely process that he fell. He had no idea how she did it.

"What just happened?"

"The results of Zangan's training," Tifa said as she cracked her knuckles. "You're dangerous from a distance. I'm dangerous up close."

"So it would seem," Julio said as he stood back up. "But what kind of move was that? I didn't even see it happen."

Now it was Tifa's turn to smile smugly.

"Think you can figure it out if I show you?"

The prospect of getting physical with his guest made Julio excited in a way he chose not to think about. He suppressed it with a shrug.

"Sure. Why not?"

Julio was nowhere near as good at close-quarters combat as he was at marksmanship. He had little to no experience getting close.

So for him to learn anything, Tifa had to drill the basics into his muscles. How to stand, where to put his arms, and even how to keep his breathing controlled. He did get a bit better, but he was nowhere near her level yet.

"Least she's not as good with knives as me," Julio told himself as a consolation.

By the end, both were sweaty and a little tired. Julio suggested they shower and rest. Which bought up a new problem.

"Do you have any clothes I can change into?"

Tifa only had one outfit. And Julio didn't have any women's clothing in the caves, but he wasn't so cruel as to make Tifa go without clothes.

Suppressing the sudden mental image, Julio had a solution.

"I know where we can get some."

That Night….

"How much longer?"

"It's not too far from here. You'll see."

Julio's home was connected to a network of tunnels. Each tunnel led to a different location. And according to Julio, the one they were about to head to was a place for Tifa to get some clothes and supplies. They just had to climb up a particularly tall ladder to get to it.

"Should just be… here we are."

Julio reached the dead end at the top of the ladder. Tifa was about to ask what came next when she saw him push up the blockade and slide it to the side. That was when she saw the dead lamp.

Going up first, Julio extended his hand and helped Tifa up. When she was on her feet, Tifa let go of his hand and took a good look at where she was at. And unless she was wrong, it looked like a department store.

"Can't forget this."

Pulling something that looked like a metal water bottle, Julio pressed a button on it and left it near the hole in the floor.

"This'll keep their cameras replaying the past couple of seconds until we leave. They'll never even know we were here."

"You've done this before? Robbing this store?"

Julio held up his hands defensively.

"Come on, I have standards. I wouldn't steal from a small business. This is a Shinra-owned store. Whatever they have here, they have thousands more in other trucks. They'll never even notice we took anything."

That made Tifa feel a little better about this. Normally she wanted to keep herself away from illegal activities (Avalanche notwithstanding), and hurting simple business owners would have been against her morals.

But stealing from Shinra?

"Where do they have the clothes?"

"The women's section is around here. I'll show you."

Julio took Tifa to the aisles with clothing, and the martial artists began to look through different outfits. Suddenly remembering old visits to the store with his mother, Julio decided to make better use of his time.

"There's some stuff I need to grab. You think you'll be alright?"

"I should be. I'm going to the fitting rooms once I find enough outfits. You can find me there when you're done."

"Gotcha. See you in a bit then."

Julio walked off and started to look for the things he would need. The hardware section wasn't too far away from the clothes, and there were things he needed. Mainly new light bulbs, some copper wires, and a new wrench. After he was done at hardware, Julio moved over to the grocery section and started to pick up some spices and herbs. He had plenty of food to make, but since he had company for the first time in a while, he figured he could make sure it tasted good.

He also stopped by the personal care section for some deodorant and body wash. Just in case.

Once he had the things he needed, Julio began to make his way back to the clothing section. He walked towards the fitting rooms to ask Tifa if she was done. But he froze in his tracks when he saw the mirror.

Someone had left a full-size mirror in front of the doors to the fitting rooms. Maybe it was being replaced, maybe someone left it there when their shift ended. Julio didn't know.

But what he did know was that Tifa was trying on different clothes. And she hadn't closed the door.

Right now she was wearing a red sweater with a pair of white leggings. In Julio's opinion, she looked amazing in those clothes. But the frown on her face indicated that she wasn't as satisfied.

Which was why she was changing out of it.

Julio's throat dried and his eyes widened like saucers when he saw Tifa lift the sweater over her head. She had on a black sports bra that barely did a good job containing her large breasts. And when she finished lifting the garment, her chest had a small jump that made them jiggle.

That had already been enough to send jolts through Julio's body. He was already mesmerized by the beautiful woman, unable to focus on anything but her.

But then she turned around and started to take off the leggings.

She pulled the fabric down from her waist, her back leaning and her rear sticking out as she struggled to get the tight pants off. Clad in black panties, Julio could easily make out the size and shape of her backside. And when she got them off, a little bounce had her ass jiggle just like her breasts had.

Julio saw Tifa, clad only in underwear, begin to dig into the pile of clothes that she had set aside. And he swallowed hard when he saw her pull out a purple bra.

Shaking his head, Julio forced himself to walk away when he saw her about to unclasp the sports bra she had on.

"Idiot. You're a rude, perverted idiot. You're not supposed to do that."

Julio's father hadn't given him that many lessons on women, but he was pretty sure that not spying on them should have been on there somewhere.

Reaching a water fountain, Julio poured himself a full cup to get some moisture back into his throat. Once his throat stopped feeling so scratchy, Julio let out a breath he had been holding since he saw the mirror.

"Julio?"

Tifa was walking up to her younger host. She had on her usual outfit, but she also had piles of clothes in her hands. And, not wanting to risk giving away what he saw, Julio started a conversation.

"Did you find what you were looking for? I got all my things, just needed a drink."

"I think so. But we can come back if I need something else, right?"

"Definitely. They never notice when things go missing here. And even if they did, they wouldn't know where to find us," Julio said with his back to Tifa. Seeing her again had caused a reaction he didn't want. Suffice to say, she would be better off not seeing his crotch.

"Let's head back."

At the Caves…

"Ok, I got you an extra blanket, some water if you get thirsty. Um, the light might randomly start blinking at some points of the night, so I have a sleep mask."

"Julio…"

"The kitchen is right next to your room if you get hungry, feel free to satisfy that if you need to."

"Julio…"

"I think that's most of it. We can keep practicing stuff in the morning if you want. I could try to teach you how to shoot. Oh, and…"

"Julio!" Tifa got the younger ones attention with a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate all of this. But you don't need to worry. I'll be fine."

Letting out a deep breath, Julio tried to relax.

"Just want to make sure you're comfortable. You're the guest and I'm the host, and I want to be a good one."

Smiling, Tifa did something that surprised the both of them. She bent down slightly and left a kiss on Julio's cheek.

She had to admit, he looked adorable with how red his face got.

"You're sweet Julio. And don't worry, you are being a good host. Good night."

And with that, Tifa closed the door to the guest room and went to rest for the night. Leaving a stunned, happy, and giggly Julio outside.

Not daring to make a sound for fear of being too loud, Julio couldn't stand still as his legs had a new bounce to them. He had been kissed by other girls before, and not just on the cheek. But none of them were of Tifa's quality. He honestly felt like he had just won some sort of competition. That's how giddy he felt.

But when his mind remembered the events back at the store, his giddiness had a new type of excitement mixed in. One that made him put Notte to sleep very quickly and close the door to his own room.

Tossing and turning and sweating in his bed, Julio struggled to sleep as Tifa consumed every thought in his mind.

Unbeknownst to him, his guest was having a similar issue.

If you've been following me for a while, you already know what to expect in the second chapter. Everything I've written so far is just the build-up. When I return to this, the build up will pay off.

I've been sitting on this idea for a while, and I decided to finally write for the best girl in FF7 (in my opinion).

The reason I made Julio an unnaturally good marksman in this is because I wanted there to be a reason for Tifa to become interested. I've always viewed her as a woman with standards, and being able to defend oneself is something she would value.

Right now I have three chapters planned out. Beyond that, we'll see.

In the meantime, go ahead and leave your thoughts. Would love to hear them.

Later!