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Chapter VII – With a Single Step

A crystal blue sky hung majestically over Edge without a cloud in sight, the sun beating down with merry innocence. A gentle breeze stirred occasionally before falling back into slumber with a long puff of breath. Outside the bar of Seventh Heaven, two figures stood idly on the porch warmed by the sun's rays. Reeve took in the air with a happy hum as he leaned against the wooden banister, while his companion stepped back into the shadow of the overhang.

"Such a beautiful day, and it's only morning," Reeve remarked, raising his head to greet the sun's radiance.

"Hmph," Vincent grunted, folding his arms. He found little reason to smile, especially in light of recent events. Reeve regarded him with a raised eyebrow and waited for him to speak. When it became evident the gunslinger had nothing more to say, the well-groomed man continued.

"Hopefully this will last all day."

"What is it that you want, Reeve?" It sounded more like an accusation than a question. Vincent narrowed his eyes over his cowl as the WRO Leader faced him, smile falling from his face at the same time his back straightened; a man now all about business.

"Alright, let us skip the pleasantries then." And with that, Reeve began to explain his plan to the laconic gunslinger. To clean up the Planet once and for all, by returning the remaining wayward souls of monsters back to the Lifestream and restoring its astoundingly delicate balance. Throughout his explanation Vincent listened diligently, only on occasion tucking chin into cowl to avoid passing zephyrs teasing at his ebony mane.

When Reeve finished, Vincent remained quiet, contemplating everything he'd been told. Uncrossing his arms, he stepped from the shadow of the porch overhang to stand next to the president of the WRO. Voices hissed and spat in his head when he emerged, demons writhing in burning hatred of the harsh sun. His gauntlet gleamed a burnished gold, blinding as it cast off intense reflection.

"... Your logic appears sound. However, I feel I cannot accompany you."

On hearing this, Reeve cocked his head. Black strands escaped the fringe of his slicked-back hair to dance in front of irises of sepia hue.

"Vincent," he began. Piercing blood-red eyes turned to meet his own. "I won't pretend to know what you've been doing or where you've been these past... three years now, is it? However, I feel this is something only our group can accomplish. It's very important; and your help would be very much appreciated." Reeve met the cloaked man's gaze, steady and unwavering, despite how much it privately perturbed him. Those crimson eyes appeared to see straight through him.

"I recognise the importance of your proposed task. However, I have my own reasons..." Vincent trailed off, knowing that the reasons he spoke of consisted of the four monstrosities that shared his body. He was looking for answers to their growing strength and agitation, but at a loss as where to find them. If not for wandering aimlessly for the past year, he had served most of his time deep within the rotting womb of the Shinra Mansion, but that only served to raise even more questions.

"I see," Reeve mused, teasing the neatly trimmed beard at his chin before nodding to himself. "Well, you do what you have to do, Vincent." He once again craned his neck up to the crystal blue sky. Vincent watched in silence, secretly appreciative that Reeve didn't push him for more information. The man was well known for being laid-back, despite his high standing position, but it didn't excuse his skill or tenacity for information gathering. Pushing himself away from the banister, Reeve pulled his cellphone from his breast pocket.

"I suppose I should try and get in touch with some of the others once again. Mainly Yuffie and Cid." The well-groomed man flipped open his PHS and began wading through his vast collection of contacts, when the front door at their back groaned open. Vincent and Reeve both peered over their shoulders to find Tifa sauntering towards them. Her hair, still wet at the ends from her recent shower, shone in beautiful copper and chocolate hues as she stepped into the light. Right arm now free from the confines of her sling, the hidden spirit in her russet eyes lit into gleaming hues of ruby courtesy of the sun.

Both men couldn't help but stare.

Tifa stopped still and blinked at the sudden attention.

"I'm sorry," she hesitated, "did I interrupt something?"

Vincent chose to peer up at the sky his companion seemed so enraptured in before, while Reeve waved his hand as if dismissing the notion.

"Not at all!" he exclaimed brightly. "I was just about to call Yuffie and Cid again."

Tifa smiled at this. "So, I take it you got in contact with Red?"

Reeve's grin alone answered her question. "That's right! I did so yesterday while you went for your..." he fished around his vocabulary for the right word, but came up short, "... walk." Tifa simply shook her head while a smile crept its way onto her face. "As soon as I explained everything he informed me he was already on his way. He should arrive in a few days."

Tifa nodded and moved towards the wooden banister, folding her arms atop the wood and leaning against it – not too dissimilar to Reeve's position moments before.

"I can't wait to see Red XIII. It's been such a long time." She smiled at the sky before arching her back to raise her arms to the sun, then sweeping them down to kiss the base of her spine.

A familiar stretch.

"I'm just going to make these few calls. I'll be inside." Reeve motioned towards the bar before politely stepping through the door to leave the pair standing alone on the porch. The wind whipped up around their feet, Vincent's cloak drifting along with the lazy currents to join Tifa's duster. They stood in easy silence, listening to the brattle of building construction, the laughter and buzz of distant conversation, and the beat and flutter of wings from the flock of birds flying overhead.

The musical score of Edge.

"So," Tifa began. "I take it Reeve explained everything to you?" She looked to Vincent with a smile, russet eyes taking on a red lustre in the sun.

"He did."

"Sound great, doesn't it?" she asked with rhetorical awareness. "I'm looking forward to us all being together again."

Vincent crossed his arms at this, his eyes narrowing. He heard of Cloud's disappearance from Barret and thus knew that Tifa spoke with either false hope or true optimism.

"I'm afraid I shall not be accompanying you."

On hearing this, the smile fell from Tifa's face.

"Oh..." The disappointment in her voice was palpable. She straightened and turned to face him. It was now he could make out the remaining extent of her injuries. Her shoulder was healing quite nicely, a light splash of purple all that remained of her bruising. He quickly deduced she'd used the Curative Materia again.

"How is your shoulder?" He changed topic.

"A lot better now. The Materia isn't as strong but I'll make sure to use it more often." She pat the utility pouch stitched front of her duster where Vincent could make out the shape resting inside: no doubt the crystallised Mako she referred to.

"Vincent... about what you said to me earlier. Back in the bar." Tifa looked anywhere but his eyes. "You don't mean– I mean, you didn't..." The fighter struggled with her words, but Vincent didn't with his understanding. Much to her ease, she didn't have to finish her sentence.

"No, I did not kill him."

Tifa's shoulders sank with the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. That was all she needed to know about the brute from night past.

Silence reigned for a few moments before Tifa once more broke it. "I know this may be intruding, but may I ask why you can't join us, Vincent?"

The gunslinger almost grumbled in response: he knew he couldn't deter the question for much longer. He kept his gaze fixed across the street, not really looking at structures but, rather, through them.

He decidedly gave the same answer he'd given previously. "I have my own reasons."

Tifa crossed her arms, studying him intently while Vincent prepared himself for the inevitable onslaught of questions.

"... Alright," she acquiesced. Vincent blinked in surprise. "I won't push you, but this is something only we can do together. We'll be travelling the Planet again, so maybe you could find or... do... your reasons if you came with us."

He remained silent.

Tifa drew in a long breath, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to reveal delicate, white teardrop earrings.

"Thank you."

Caught off-guard, Vincent eyed her quizzically. "For last night," she elaborated, meeting his eyes. "I never got the chance to say it before. If you weren't there..." Her gaze fell as she rubbed her right shoulder. "I... would have been a lot worse off."

Vincent offered a small nod, his chin disappearing into the folds of his cowl. He knew Tifa's admittance made a hard offering for the fighter's pride.

"I'm sure you would have been able to handle the situation, if you had your gloves with you." It was a small, attempted consolation from the gunslinger, yet it sounded more like an admonishment to Tifa and provided little solace. She knew he was right.

"Yeah," she tried to sound confident, but it came out defeated. "Well, wherever you go, I'm sure we'll meet again." She moved to go back inside in a ripple of leather, when Vincent's sudden baritone gave her pause.

"When do you plan to depart?"

Tifa looked back in thought. "I'm not sure, but Barret was talking about as early as tonight. As soon as I know more I'll tell you." When it became clear the laconic man had nothing more to say, Tifa continued towards the door and slipped into the building, leaving Vincent alone to stare at the sky.

As soon as she stepped into the bar, Tifa could hear nothing but expletives. Reeve was hunched over the counter, nursing his shaking head and rubbing his temple with both hands. Meanwhile Barret, who was seated beside him, laughed heartily at the phone vibrating across the bar top. The loudspeaker echoed throughout the room.

"Cid, this is for a very good cause!" Reeve almost pleaded, much to his companion's amusement given the quake of his broad shoulders.

"Yeah man, most of us 'ave already agreed to it," Barret cut in with a huge grin.

The loudspeaker erupted, the phone rattling across the polished counter with sheer volume."You've all gone bloody crazy! You sure you guys ain't havin' a midlife crisis 'n doin' this fer nostalgic reasons? 'Hey! Remember that time we travelled the Planet together knowing we were all F&$^ED?!'"

Barret as he would call it, 'lost his shit', and guffawed: a mighty bellow that shook the floorboards. Reeve had effectively buried his head into his hands at this point. Tifa grinned and hopped over to the phone.

"Hello, Cid!" she called, light and enthusiastic and genuinely happy to hear the rough pilot's voice.

"Not more of tha numbskulls!" The gruff of his laughter rang out over the speaker. "How you doin', Tifa? ^%$#! It's been a while!" The fighter beamed in response and made small talk while Barret and Reeve composed themselves, though the grin never left the former's face and neither did the grimace on the latter's. Much to the WRO leader's dismay, Tifa once more began to explain their plan to Cid. However, this time he appeared to listen.

'Well," he began, 'hope you don't count on me flying you everywhere! I'm still tryin' ta make an airship that runs off fossil fuel, 'n %&$^ am I stumped!'

"Like we told you, Cid, we'll mostly be on foot so we can hunt down monsters," Tifa reassured.

'Tell ya what, I'll stay here in Rocket Town and try 'n get my baby in the air. You cobbers come 'n meet me 'ere and we can all have a nice cup of goddamn tea, how about that?!'

Tifa and Barret snickered in unison.

"You got yerself a deal," Barret agreed and settled the rest of the conversation. Everyone gave their goodbyes to Cid, but not before wishing him luck on his mysterious new airship. Upon hanging up, Reeve collapsed onto his bar stool looking rather exasperated; a rare sight to see.

He glanced up at the two before finally grumbling out, "Next time, you call Cid."

He grew even more vexed by the laughter that erupted from both Barret and Tifa.

The day passed by without much more event. Reeve tried but was unsuccessful in contacting Yuffie, only receiving her curt voicemail message of: 'This is the Single White Rose of Wutai! I'm away on ANNOYING business for my father, so leave me a message and I'll THINK ABOUT calling you back!' At Barret's suggestion (and persistence) himself and Tifa began packing up to leave that evening: getting an early start seemed like a good idea and Barret was restless. They decided to meet Red XIII on their travels, making sure they both had their cellphones and all the numbers necessary to get in contact with everyone in their group.

It was here Tifa remembered Vincent didn't own a cellphone, but then subsequently realised it wouldn't matter even if he did. He wouldn't be joining them. 'Still,' she thought. 'I'll have to remember to get him one in future. He shouldn't distance himself so much.' Reeve made calls for the rest of the day, mainly WRO related, and made arrangements for Seventh Heaven to be taken care of in Tifa's absence. Cait Sith watched over and played with Denzel and Marlene, while Vincent, it seemed, never moved from his post outside.

As the sun began to lower and the pavement began to cool, Tifa stretched along with the sun's rays and decided to take a break from packing. Suddenly, she recalled her word to inform Vincent when they were leaving. Cursing under her breath, she made her way across her room and towards the stairs, hoping the man was where she'd last left him. As she passed the wooden dresser, her footsteps slowed. She paused. Stepping back from the doorway, she moved towards the furniture and pulled open the top drawer. Rummaging through her items, she finally lay hands on what she was looking for. She recognised it instantly by material alone.

She pulled her hand from the miscellanea within and retrieved her Premium Hearts. Her thumb ran over the soft leather, intimate and familiar, the material rich with not only battle, but memories. She gazed down at them in admiration, as a proud mother would gaze down at their child.

"I missed you guys," she whispered. Slipping them into the front pocket of her duster, she continued out of the room and down the stairs in a rustle of leather. Her ears perked at the raised voices that suddenly met them.

"No way! You can't come with us, Marlene!"

Trotting fast to the bottom, Tifa remained by the stairs and watched a young Marlene cling onto Barret for dear life.

"I'll be good! I promise, Daddy! Please, let me go with you!" Her little hands gripped so tight into his puffy white vest jacket they turned white.

Barret's shoulders slumped in exasperation as he continue to speak to her on one knee. "It'll be dangerous, I can't let ya go. An' I can't let Denzel go either. You two gotta be good an' stick with Reeve. He's gonna look after ya. A'ight?"

Denzel shuffled next to the man in question and, despite Reeve doing his best to comfort the boy, he continued to pick at his hoodie sleeve with dejected fingers and stare down at his unlaced sneakers. It broke Tifa's heart clean in two. Decidedly steeling herself for Barret's rebuke, she sauntered further into the room.

"Of course you can come with us, Marlene."

The surprise on Reeve's face was almost comical. Barret looked on in horror. He turned a sharp eye to Tifa, with an expression along with it as if to say, 'Are you for f***in' REAL?!' Marlene's face lit up like a floodlight. She dashed on over to Tifa with Denzel following suit, but the orphan walked rather than ran.

"Does that mean I can come too?" the boy asked, his cautious optimism accompanied with an uncertain scratch to the back of his neck.

"Sure." Tifa flashed him a brilliant smile.

"Tif'!" Barret hissed, "Are you NUTS?! We're gonna be fightin' monsters. MONSTERS. We can't have 'em with us!"

"Oh, dilly dally," Tifa brushed off his rage, throwing Barret completely off-guard. Despite her outward nonchalance however, internally she had whipped up the emotional equivalent of the Contain Materia spell, Tornado.

Of course she knew it was going to be dangerous. She also knew that leaving them behind was the safest, most reasonable thing to do. And yet... just how much of their childhoods would they continue to miss in doing so? Three years ago, Barret had left Marlene behind to 'fight the good fight' against Shinra. She knew it pained him to do so, but back then they were sought 'eco-terrorists', each with their own bounty to their head. Monsters were the least of their worries. Now, however, they weren't so hunted down. They had a strong party structure. And Tifa wasn't willing to give up what precious little time she already had with the two children.

She knew Denzel and Marlene to be stronger, and smarter both, than what they seemed.

"We'll protect them," she assured with her own reinforced certainty. "We can have Cait Sith keep watch too. Have them stay behind while we fight, and Red will be able to help as well. Reeve is busy enough. I don't want to leave them."

Reeve opened his mouth to comment, but couldn't deny the truth to Tifa's words. Instead, he uncharacteristically ended up scratching the back of his head. Barret rose to his feet with huge arms dangling loosely by his side, looking all for the world like a tree that had lost its branches. The absurdity of Tifa's suggestion made him peer down at the two children with a blank stare.

Marlene and Denzel gazed back at him with what appeared to be their best puppy dog eyes.

"Ye can count on me!" Cait Sith piped up, pounding his little furry chest with a gloved fist. Barret glanced at him with an incredulous arc to his brow.

"Oh... ALRIGHT!" The gun-armed man waved his arms in defeat at the same time Marlene cried out in joy, hugging Tifa's waist tight and dancing up and down in jubilance. Denzel barely concealed his smile at the sight. Her father's voice quickly cut through the celebration with a boom, "But if anything happens, and I mean ANY-DAMN-THANG, they're comin' straight back 'ere, ya hear?"

Tifa nodded.

"Don't worry, Barret, we'll protect them. We will," she reassured with a smile. He crossed his arms with a grumpy, gruff huff in response. The front door suddenly crept open with a piercing groan. All eyes turned on Vincent as he stepped into the bar. He couldn't help but notice the irony, privately of course, that he'd somehow managed to place himself in the very same position he'd been in that morning. Mocking laughter resound in his head.

"That's a relief," Tifa breathed out. "I thought you might have left already. I wanted to let you know we'll be leaving soon."

Vincent nodded, his eyes passing over Denzel. While fear remained stark on his face, the boy appeared to look up at him with newfound awe. And although Vincent was aware of the talk Barret partook with him, he felt a surge of curiosity to what exactly Barret had told the child. He refocused his blood-red gaze back to the fighter standing in the middle of the room.

"I have decided to accompany you on your journey," Vincent addressed Tifa.

He watched as she blinked away initial shock, before an enormous grin broke over her face like a sunrise. "That's great, Vincent! I'm glad you're coming with us."

"Well, I wasn't expectin' this," Barret said, following up Tifa's sincere admission as he stomped on over. "It's good ta have ya with us again." He clapped Vincent on the shoulder with a white-toothed grin, almost causing the gunslinger to stumble with the force. Vincent, however, remained stolid. "We could use all the help we can get."

"I'm glad you changed your mind," Reeve joined in, adding a simple smile of his own.

Cait Sith enthused from his seat by the WRO leader's side with a feline grin, "The mair the merrier!"

Vincent couldn't help but muffle his surprise at the group's earnest reaction to him joining their quest. He felt it undeserved and wasted on him. After all, he was joining them for selfish reasons. He'd spent many hours contemplating, but ultimately decided if they were to truly travel across the Planet once again, it would give him the best chance he had for finding answers. Also, an equal chance to atone; to help heal the Planet he had a great part in bringing to ruin. By failing to stop Hojo, he had as much a part to play in the Planet's near-destruction as Sephiroth himself.

This, he kept all to himself, however, and simply nodded in response.

Extra time was spent making additional preparations, with Tifa and Barret helping the children pack their own belongings into backpacks, while Reeve went about closing the bar for the foreseeable future. Heartfelt goodbyes were passed to the well-groomed man as he wished them luck, assuring them he would be on the other end of the PHS if needed. Vouching he would make sure to check in every few days, and with one extra last wave to Cait Sith, Reeve Tuesti finally departed, heading back to WRO Headquarters where his absence was felt as surely as he was missed.

As the keys turned in Seventh Heaven's lock for the last (and what would no doubt be a very long) time, Tifa remained standing at the top of the porch stairs while the group made their way to the bottom. The sun peeked just over the horizon, kindling the sky ablaze in a beautiful orange that set the asphalt to burn. The air was warm to the point it was almost muggy, but also reassuring to the fighter as she became shawled in amber rays. Birds sang merrily overhead as they fluttered off to some unknown destination. Tifa breathed, stretching out her arms and arching her back like she had done so many times before.

"Are ya comin' or what?" Barret called from the street hued a deep marmalade.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up!" she called back. They moved on at a noticeably slower pace. She reached into her utility pocket and pulled out her Premium Hearts. Holding them in her hand, she felt the material once more with pensive reservation before grasping them tight. Slowly, she pulled on each glove. First the right. Then the left. She marvelled at the feeling; this was what she'd been missing for so long. The part of her that she needed to meet again, like a reunion with an old friend.

She flexed her fingers. Finally, after three years, Tifa Lockhart found herself.

'I may or may not find you out there, Cloud,' she thought. 'But I'm not just doing this for the Planet, or for you. I'm doing this for myself. No more moping around. All journeys start with a single step...'

And with that, Tifa took hers.