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Final Fantasy 7. Tifa Lockhart: Journey to Midgar.	By : Nickamano Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 7306 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 is created and owned by Squaresoft, now Square-Enix. Nothing here is owned by me. It was created for entertainment purposes, and I am not profiting financially from the creation and online presentation of this story.

Chapter List
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Epilogue: A Beginning.
It was a cold November evening in ’07. Twenty-year old Tifa Lockhart was waiting by the Sector Seven train-station, the terminus for the spiralling plate-to-slums transport line. It was also the location of the train graveyard, the place obsolete and broken-down trains were abandoned and left to rot. She was expecting, or half expecting, an illegally procured shipment of some bottles of Honey Mead from a place in the upper plate’s Sector Five. However, she hadn’t had the confirmation yet and therefore doubted the delivery would be coming through.

Even so, she waited until the correct train came into the station, glanced at each of the departing passengers to see if she recognised her contact and then, when she didn’t, she about turned and headed back for home.

It was the sound of a dog barking that took her around to the southern-most train line. Barking dogs often suggested a monster attack or the first response to some form of danger, so she always investigated dog barks whenever she could.

She paused just shy of the street lamp, which wasn’t giving off much light, just a pool of yellow making out a stark relief of the pinkish red paving stones. In the shadows beyond the lamplight, there was a Shinra uniformed train-guard standing by the steps and the dog was there too, running around the guard’s legs, barking as it darted about. The guard lashed out with a boot and the dog danced out of the way and then loped off and sat down beside Tifa instead. And that was when she realised there was another figure there too, lying on the paving stones at the guard’s feet.

The guard leaned down over the other figure and shook their shoulder.

“What’s the matter?” The guard asked.

But the other person just let out a weak, wheezing groan. The guard straightened up, scratched his head, obviously unsure of what to do.

“Poor kid.” The guard groaned, glancing around to see if there was anyone else who could help, but he didn’t see anyone. He took a step back.

It seemed to Tifa as though he desperately wanted to just walk away and forget about the other person, whoever they were. He took another step back. And then Tifa let out a gasp. The guard’s two steps back were enough to allow a little more light onto the other individual.

It was the spikes of blonde hair that allowed her to recognise him. He was wearing a SOLDIER uniform, black or purple, it was hard to tell in the light. However, the pullover, the trousers and boots the thick leather harness and belt, the clunky bowl-shaped pauldron. Just like what Zack had worn on ‘that day’. And the figure was clutching desperately to an almighty huge great sword, it looked like a meat cleaver.

She ran over, fighting back tears. And as she came to the guard’s attention he hurried away, obviously relieved to have his responsibility relinquished.

Tifa knelt down, stroked the blond spikes lovingly.

“Are you alright?” She asked tenderly, the tears flowing freely now.

The blond spikes lifted, unfocussed eyes circling, looking for something to focus on. The lovely sky-blue eyes were no longer sky-blue but a strange glowing turquoise, deep and enigmatic as the ocean.

She gazed into those eyes, trying to recognise the boy she had known, trying to see the person behind them. They circled again and then came to rest on hers. And then finally came into focus.

“Uh… Uh… Tifa?”

His voice was weak and croaky, little more than a whisper. Though he recognised her. That was something.

“Tifa?”

He spoke her name again and with more conviction, as though confirming a reality he had thought had been a dream.

He stood up suddenly, strength apparently flowing into his limbs. The sword that had appeared to weigh as much as a car now seemed light as paper. And as she took a second look at the sword, she was once again reminded of Zack. He had carried a sword just like that one, and he had been carrying it the last time she had seen him.

And then he smiled at her, the smile she remembered. And, even though his eyes were a different colour, they were the same in every other respect. The little creases that came with the smile, just like she remembered, and those long dark lashes, almost feminine. Tifa felt her heart fluttering.

“Tifa!” He practically sang, his voice strong and still youthful.

Tifa looked at him, she reached for him, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, to crush him against her. However, she hesitated. His grin was beyond anything she had seen before, and for a moment he looked almost manic, simultaneously confused and exhilarated.

“Oh, Cloud!” She gasped.

Overwhelmed by the unforeseen reality of Cloud Strife. Here he was out of the blue, before her tear-filled eyes, large as life. When she had all but given up hope of ever seeing him again.

She had wondered about him for the past five years, searched for him, for news of him, checked the newspapers, even enquired with Members of SOLDIER when she had come across them. Like Zack. And the murderer, Sephiroth.

Recognition was blooming in Cloud’s face. The mania vanished, replaced by a sudden inexplicable clarity. There was a new focus behind those amazingly coloured eyes. Zack’s eyes. SOLDIER’s eyes. And a vitality that seemed to suffuse his toned muscular body. He had grown into his looks. This SOLDIER training had blessed him with a physique that complimented his youthful handsomeness. Tifa felt her heart hammering against her ribs, a feeling she hadn’t experienced since Zangan.

“That’s right.”

He said, playfully drawing himself into a sword wielding combat stance, that again, reminded Tifa very much of Zack. Of the way he used to act and show off in front of her. Not like Cloud at all, at least not the Cloud she remembered from Nibelheim.

“I’m Cloud.”
“Is it really you, Cloud? I never thought I’d find you here!”
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”
“What happened to you? You don’t look well.”
“Yeah? It’s nothing. I’m okay.” He said with a dismissive shrug.
“How long has it been?”

There were flashes of that mania again, his face, his eyes, there was a momentary little tick at the side of his right brow, just for a moment. And his sword arm gave a little quivering shake. But then the grin returned. Cloud returned.

“Five years.” He said, appearing to surprise himself by how that sounded.

Tifa stared at him in surprise, she wanted to say something. Cloud looked at her and shrugged.

“What is it?” He asked.
“…It’s really been a long time.” She replied, breathlessly.

Because, actually, it had been seven years.
Something was wrong, it was definitely Cloud and yet there was something off about him. Tifa didn’t know what to do.

So, she decided to do nothing. Just keep him close. To keep an eye on him and see what happened.

She offered him a room back at her restaurant. And decided she needed to keep him close. And so, in the morning she would introduce him to Barret.

The End.
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Final Fantasy 7. Tifa Lockhart: Journey to Midgar.