Chapter 39: The Truth

November 1, 0001

Julie ended up rooming with Miranda, while Matt roomed with Milton, who was the black-haired inmate Miranda had seen on the bus when she first arrived, along with Riggs and Amy. Matt and Milton became friends, though Matt seemed kind of aloof. Despite that, Matt got to know Milton really well, though he did not find out what he was in reform school for.

Julie and Miranda developed a friendship even faster.

"You know," Miranda began one day, a couple of weeks after Julie and Matt had arrived, "I can step out if you want some alone time with your cousin. I don't mind being sexiled."

"Excuse me?" Julie asked.

"Sexiled," Miranda clarified. "You know, when you kick your roomie out to have sex."

"You don't have to do that," Julie replied. "We're taking a break from sex right now. Besides, doesn't that bother you?"

"I wouldn't do it personally," Miranda replied. "But whatever floats your boat. I thought I'd send you running, anyway."

"Why?" Julie inquired.

"You do know what I'm here for, right?" Miranda asked.

Julie shook her head.

"You didn't look it up?" Miranda asked. "Why?"

"Not my business," Julie replied.

Suddenly, a knock sounded the door.

"That knock sounded serious," Julie observed.

"This better not be Amy complaining about noise," Miranda sighed as she got up to answer the door.

It was not, of course.

Riggs was standing there, along with Matt and Milton.

"What's going on?" Miranda asked, somewhat surprised to see all three of them.

"Something important came up," Riggs announced.

"Involving all five of us?" Julie asked.

"In one way or another, yes," Riggs answered. "But mostly Matt and Julie."

"What happened?" Miranda inquired. "Was it Amy?"

"Let's have a seat," Riggs commanded.

He directed Matt and Julie to sit on Julie's bed. He, Milton, and Miranda took a seat on hers.

"It's funny," Riggs began as he opened his laptop. "You hear rumors sometimes and you try to forget. But they also leave you curious, and you can't help but investigate."

Julie became nervous. It sounded as if he had found something out. She quickly grabbed Matt's hand and clenched it.

"Now looky what I discovered," Riggs announced. "It seems Amy was right."

"About what?" Julie asked.

"That you're not really the Lane cousins," he clarified.

"We are," Julie insisted. "Trust me."

"Sorry Julie," Riggs said. "If that is your real name, Tiffany Claire Lockhart Strife."

Tifa's mouth dropped open.

So did Cloud's.

Riggs grinned.

"Yep," he said. "The cat's out of the bag now."

Cloud and Tifa were silent, wondering how he could have possibly blown their cover.

"You want to know how I found out, don't you?" Riggs continued.

Cloud nodded nervously.

"I hacked your cell phones," Riggs explained. "I know how to do that remotely with a laptop. I got all the information."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Milton pointed out.

"But satisfaction brought it back," Riggs added.

Cloud and Tifa remained silent. Their cover was suddenly blown, and in a manner beyond their expectations.

"Yes, I'm a hacker," Riggs announced. "The best in the world. I even remotely hacked President Shinra's personal emails and exploited his love affairs. No big secret. That's what I'm in here for."

"So they're not really a couple of incestuous cousins," Milton said aloud. "They're imposters."

"So," Riggs continued, "according to this, you're Cloud Strife."

Cloud, knowing he was defeated and caught, nodded.

"What's confusing me," added Riggs, "are the other things I've found. Cloud is in Midgar training for SOLDIER at this moment. Tifa is still living in Nibelheim with her father. I checked the pictures, and you're identical. I even hacked into the security footage at the Shinra Building. It seems Cloud is also there. Right now."

There was a long silence.

Cloud and Tifa knew they had some explaining to do.

"But here's you," Riggs continued. "Right now."

"You took a huge risk hacking the Shinra again," Miranda pointed out.

"What do I have to lose?" Riggs insisted. "I'm already in jail."

Tifa took Cloud's hand and squeezed it again.

"So my question is," continued Riggs, "how can you two be in two places at once?"

"It's a long story," Cloud began.

"Wait!" Miranda interjected. "Don't tell me. You're from the future!"

Both of the imposters were surprised.

"What makes you say that?" asked Tifa, in a guilty tone of voice.

"Well, how else can you be in two places at once?" Miranda deduced aloud. "Unless you're clones or quantum duplicates."

"Not to mention," Riggs said, "some of your texts are dated from 0011. Nearly a decade from now."

They seemed to know a lot.

It would be useless lying, or even withholding the truth.

Tifa sighed.

"We are from the future," she admitted. "And yes, we came back in time."

"We came back from the year 0011," Cloud added. "Nearly a decade from now."

"That explains it," Riggs said. "It also said that in 0011, the Western Continent is a democratic republic. With a president." He then turned to Tifa. "Who, if I'm not mistaken, is you."

"You're president?!" Miranda exclaimed. "What happened to Bismarck?"

"She blew her brains out," Cloud replied.

"But if you came back in time from 0011," Miranda continued, "how come you're still fourteen? I mean, shouldn't you be in your mid-twenties?"

"Sephiroth," Cloud replied. "Ever hear of him?"

"Of course," Miranda replied. "I wasn't born in a cave."

"By 0011, he's done some pretty unspeakable things," Cloud continued. "He used a Regenerator invented by our friend Shera. It was supposed revive rotting fruit, but it had some side effects. In 0011, we were twenty-four, but he made me ten and Tifa nine."

"And you went back in time so you could grow up and be adults in 0011 again!" Miranda deduced. "Which is the reason you're impersonating the Lane cousins. You need to lay low and avoid messing with history, until finally you get to the day you originally went back in time, and then basically pick up where you left off."

"You're good at math," Tifa complimented.

"Hey!" Miranda exclaimed playfully. "You're just saying that because I'm from Wutai! You're racist!"

Tifa was silent.

"I-I'm sorry," she began. "I-I just….."

"I'm just messing around!" Miranda laughed. "And you're impersonating the Lane cousins because you don't want to get caught by the authorities and end up in separate foster homes."

"This girl is really good," Tifa admitted.

"What did Sephiroth turn you into kids, anyway?" Milton inquired.

"We don't know," Cloud admitted. "We know he wanted us out of the way. But why he wanted us out of the way is another story. He had some nasty ideas for the Planet, but we fouled him three times."

"Was there anything planned?" Miranda asked. "Anything he'd want to sabotage."

"Not really," Tifa replied. "Our friends Cid and Shera were about to get married. And I heard something was going on over on the Eastern Continent. But that was out of my jurisdiction, and it had nothing to do with Sephiroth. And we've spent the last five years trying to figure out what he might be plotting."

"I guess the pieces might come as we get closer to your present," Milton suggested.

"Hopefully," Cloud said.

"You're not….really related, are you?" Miranda asked sheepishly, changing the subject.

"No!" Cloud and Tifa both replied in unison, laughing.

"But we are best friends," Tifa added. "Ever since I can remember."

Miranda could not help but notice how affectionate Cloud and Tifa seemed toward each other. It led her to the next question.

"Are you a couple, then?"

"We're married," Tifa replied.

"Sort of," Cloud added. "We got married when we grew up."

"You're still married," Miranda suggested. "You did take a vow for better or for worse. I'm sure that meant being turned into kids and going back through time."

Cloud and Tifa looked at each other in silence. She did have a point.

"I know what you're thinking," Miranda began. "You think we're going to tell everyone. Or blackmail you."

Tifa and Cloud gave an awkward smile.

"We're not," Miranda assured her. "Whatever's going on, it has to be important. I don't want to mess with history. Your secret's safe with us."

Both Cloud and Tifa sighed in relief.

"You sure?" Cloud asked.

"We just want you to know we know," Miranda replied. "Do you think we're the type of people who give secrets away?"

"I learn secrets, but don't give them away," added Riggs.

"I once told a guy my sister had a crush on him," Milton added, "and she beat the shit out of me. I've never revealed a secret since."

"But why?" asked Tifa. "Why are you supporting us?"

"You've been my friends," Miranda answered. "At a time I couldn't get one."

"I don't want to know what you did to get in here," Tifa said. "I wouldn't define you by it anyway. When I was a twenty-year-old adult in the future, I was blowing up Shinra reactors!"

"The ones that power Midgar?!" Riggs exclaimed.

"You got it," Tifa replied. "Don't get too attached."

Hours went by before Tifa and Miranda found themselves alone in the dorm room again. Tifa was sitting up; Miranda was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

"Wow," Miranda began. "From the future. Do you have flying cars yet?"

"I'm afraid not," Tifa replied.

"What about food pills?"

"Nope."

"Did we go into space?"

"I'm the first woman in space," Tifa replied.

"You know," Miranda began, "I'm still okay with being sexiled. Now that I know you're a married couple and not a pair of cousins."

Tifa sighed.

"That's okay," she said. "We haven't had sex since before we were made children again. That was five years ago. We weren't even a couple again until that last few weeks."

Miranda was speechless.

"And, yet, you came back to each other," she observed. "Do you believe in soulmates?"

"Not really," Tifa replied. "But Cloud and I have been best friends for most of his life, and all of mine."

It was something to think about, considering she had not yet told her about her other time travels.

THAT NIGHT…

Cloud and Tifa lay on the grass outside their dorm. The sun was down, and it was after curfew, but they knew nobody would catch them if they remained laying down.

Tifa seemed particularly quiet.

"What's on your mind?" Cloud naturally asked.

"I'm wondering if I screwed up," Tifa replied. "Could I have altered history by telling Riggs and Miranda about the future?"

"Probably not," Cloud replied. "They're in a jail for kids. They can't get out. And, even if they did, I don't remember them playing a role in anything important."

"True," Tifa admitted as she took Cloud's hand and squeezed it.

She was still taking in the fact that they were a couple again after half a decade of an ambiguous fate. Things were slowly starting to return to the way they had been.

That said, today had been a big surprise.

"I figured someone would find us out sooner or later," Tifa said. "I just didn't think it would be a teenage computer hacker."

"I trust them," Cloud said. "I don't feel that bad vibe. And I'm not a trusting person."

"Same here," Tifa said. "I know Miranda and I are becoming fast friends. I know her well already, except I don't know what she's in for. But I know she won't betray us."

"Miranda Kisaragi," Cloud said aloud. "I wonder if she's related to Yuffie."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Tifa said. "She's never mentioned her."

"I wonder why we haven't seen her in the present?" he then said.

"She said she has a terminal heart condition she's already outlived," Tifa replied sadly. "My guess is she passed away sometime before we met Yuffie."

Cloud was silent.

"Is this why you were open with her?" he asked.

"Maybe," Tifa replied. "How would she be able to interfere with the future if she wasn't going to live to be in it?"