Chapter 13: Get the Chronus Wand!

Tifa, aged nine, put her hands on her hips and gave Cloud, aged ten, an annoyed look.

"The Chronus Wand only lets you travel through time," she reminded him. "It doesn't make time go through you."

"I know that," Cloud sighed.

"And even if it could, it's locked away in the National Museum," she added.

And then, Tifa walked to the table. She sat down, placed her face in her hands, and began to cry.

"This is all my fault!" she sobbed. "I screwed up. I'm a screw up! I'm a fucking screwup!"

Cloud immediately sat down next to Tifa and put his arm around her.

"This is Sephiroth's doing," he assured her. "Not yours. Someone told him where we were. If we didn't board his boat, he still would have found a way to zap us. He wants us out of the way. Which is why we need to become adults again as soon as possible."

"But why the Chronus Wand?" Tifa asked. "It can't make us grow!"

"Try not to think in three-dimensional terms," Cloud suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Tifa asked.

"There is a way we can use the Chronus Wand to grow quickly again," he said. "It just won't be quick for us. But it will be for everyone else."

"I'm not following," Tifa said.

"We'll go back in time," he clarified. "To 1996. We grow up, and avoid changing history. We sneak up behind Sephiroth, figure out exactly what he was planning, and terminate his plans."

Tifa gave Cloud a skeptical look.

"So you're saying we take the Chronus Wand and go back to the time when we were actually these ages? And then we grow?"

"Unless you can think of a better plan," Cloud said.

Tifa sighed.

"Could," she said, "I love you, but there's so many questions."

"Like what?" Cloud asked.

"What if we get caught and put in an orphanage?"

"We have to take that chance," he replied. "The same thing can happen in the present."

"You have a point," she admitted. "But what if we change the timeline?"

"We'll try to avoid the Western and Eastern Continents all together," he replied. "The Northern is sparsely populated. I was thinking we'd take the boat with us and stay there most of the time."

"Stay in this boat for fifteen years?" she asked. "Wouldn't we go nuts?"

"Maybe," he replied. "Or we could go nuts with Sephiroth meandering around and us being powerless to stop him."

That finally did it.

"Okay, you win. We'll go back in time to 1996," Tifa agreed. "And stay out of history's way. We can do this."

Cloud smiled. It was the most reasonable thing to do.

"But first," Tifa added, "we need to get the Chronus Wand."

TWO DAYS LATER…

The child Cloud and Tifa, now dressed in black sweats, stood outside the entrance to the National Museum in Nibelheim.

It was two in the morning, and even the street lights were out. They had parked the boat in Costa del Oeste, and "borrowed" a moped, as it was the only vehicle that would fit them both.

"So how do we get the Chronus Wand?" Cloud asked.

"I'll break in," Tifa replied.

"That's it?" he asked skeptically.

"Trust me, bud," she assured him, "I came with a trick up my sleeve."

With that, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a familiar-looking device on her wrist.

"Literally," she added with a smile.

"Tobin's old cloaking bracelet?" he inquired.

"I brought it on the trip, in case I suddenly needed to disappear," she replied. "I think Tobin would have approved."

"But there's only one of it," he pointed out.

"I'll be using it," she informed him. "You'll be standing watch, in case anything happens."

"Like what?" he asked.

Tifa simply smiled.

"You'll know when you see it," she replied.

With that, she activated the cloaking bracelet, and disappeared.

Cloud wanted clarity, but now, Tifa could say nothing at all.

A moment later, he saw one of the windows break; he knew Tifa had broken the glass.

Meanwhile, Tifa found herself inside on the ground level. The nine-year-old girl began to make her way through the museum. The lights were on, and security guards were around the corner, but she knew they wouldn't see her.

The ground floor consisted of ancient weapons of battles fought long ago. This included swords, and all sorts of things that she had originally believed were mythical.

The second floor mainly featured natural history materials, as well as some artifacts from the old world. Tifa passed a security guard, but, as she was cloaked, he walked by as if she was not there.

The third floor was dedicated to science and technology. She passed through the mirror room, and, to her horror, saw her reflection.

Annoyed, she looked up at the sky.

"Why didn't you warn me about that one?" she sighed, directing it at Tobin.

She quickly exited through the other side of the mirror room.

And there, around the bend, was the Chronus Wand.

It was behind glass, unable to be accessed.

Well, no shit, Tifa thought to herself. What if that fell into the wrong hands? I'm almost thinking I should destroy it when we're done with it. They won't impeach me. I'm the president of the Western Continent, not some random nine-year-old girl who broke into a museum and stole the device that changed all our lives.

Then, Tifa spotted a door that read the magical words: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

She opened the door with the greatest of ease.

Of course, she thought to herself as she explored the back corridor. No alarm. No lock. I know it's different when the museum is open. But they have to patrol these corridors, too.

Tifa made her way down the corridor until she came to a small door that read "Chronus Wand."

Cautiously, she opened the door. She was able to step into the exhibit easily; an adult would have a much more difficult time.

The Chronus Wand was sitting there. Tifa quickly ran to it and picked it up.

No alarm, she thought. We must be some real happy family.

She took the Chronus Wand out of the exhibit and back to the corridor.

Funny, she realized. I was supposed to marry another man and die at twenty-nine. And this changed everything. And now it's going to give us yet another chance. Or it could ruin us if we don't watch our asses.

She was now in the third floor exhibits again. She carried her prize toward the stairs.

And then, it hit her.

The security guards will see this thing floating around, she realized. I really have to watch it.

She made it to the stairs with no security guards in sight. She went down the stairs to the second floor. Then the ground floor.

She peered through the door windows to see if any security guards were about. It was hard to see.

Then, she heard the second floor door open.

She had no choice. She darted through the doors.

She had not taken more than three steps through when the alarm began to sound.

The lights began to flash red.

An announcement came on the intercom.

"Attention!" it sounded. "The Chronus Wand has been stolen. Suspect is a caucasian female, aged eight to ten years of age, dark brown hair, brown eyes. Wearing a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants!"

How the hell could they have seen me?! Tifa thought.

Then, she realized it.

The cameras! The cloaking bracelet can't fool cameras!

She had little time. She ran down the hall as fast as she could. She did not stop until she was at the window. As she climbed through, she heard the sound of footsteps galloping toward her. She jumped outside, quickly spotting Cloud. She then realized she would have to decloak for speaking.

Tifa became visible again, immediately running toward Cloud.

"I got it!" she announced. "But they're after us!"

She hopped onto the moped.

"Come on," she commanded. "You'll have to ride bitch."

Cloud climbed on behind her and wrapped his arms around her lower torso.

Just then, the museum's front doors opened, and five security guards came running out.

"Freeze!" one of them commanded as they all drew their guns.

Tifa immediately started the moped, and off they went.

"Don't worry," she assured Cloud. "They can't shoot kids."

They then heard the sound of gunfire.

"Yeah, right!" Cloud lamented.

But all shots missed, and, soon, they were well out of range.

TWO HOURS LATER…

Cloud and Tifa made it back to the boat, returning the moped to its rightful owner.

They were now out in the middle of the ocean, awaiting the final step.

"Well," Tifa began, "I think it's time. Anyone not going to 1996, please disembark now."

Cloud was silent.

"Are you ready?" Tifa asked.

"Let's do this," he agreed.

Tifa took the Chronus Wand. She set the month. She set the day. She set the year.

A beam began to emulate from the Chronus Wand. It shot out and stopped five yards in front of the boat, creating a distortion large enough for it to flow through.

The boat began to move forward.

Then, it disappeared into the distortion.

Moments later, the distortion vanished.

The open ocean was still again.