Sunset ^beta

Since that fateful day, Tifa could barely remember a night she didn't dream of fire.

All around her buildings burned and people fled and screamed, and countless corpses lay in pools of their own blood. Tifa's own chest bled, dark crimson running down her front. She looked down at her hands, no longer the hands of an ignorant adolescent girl, but the calloused hands of a hardened fighter. Yet she was still too weak to protect those she loved.

Despite the blazing inferno all around her, she felt cold, too cold. She pressed forward, her legs trembling. Even if it was too late, she couldn't fall now. A trail of alien blood stained the ground, and her own blood dripped onto it. She was dying, she knew. Maybe Cloud's delusions were correct and she had died with her father in Nibelheim.

But if she was dead, why did it hurt so much? Why did it hurt when Cloud, his memories a mess, sometimes looked upon her like a stranger? If she was dead, why did she still fight so hard to live, to protect the Planet?

She stumbled over a fallen pillar and fell to her hands and knees, and she tasted blood at the back of her throat. Briefly she remembered Aerith's pained expression as she listened to the cries of the Planet, of her worry for the unknown future. She tried to crawl forward, and still the screams of her neighbors echoed in her ears as Shinra's greatest monster cut them down one by one.

Maybe once Sephiroth had been a hero, someone Cloud had looked up to. But that man was no more.

Again Tifa forced herself to her feet, and she found herself in a different ruined city, one not marred by fire but rather a silent, deathly cold. Something seized Tifa's throat in an icy grip, and for a moment she couldn't breathe. An unknown path lay ahead of her, and she feared what awaited her at the end.

She took a step forward, her blood the only splash of color in this lifeless world. Stone platforms lay before her, with crumbling railings and dilapidated buildings, and dead trees blotted out the sky. Some sculptures appeared crystalline, as if frozen in time, but empty of color. Even the Planet was silent, and no longer could she smell the burning of her home. This wasn't Nibelheim, but it had died all the same.

Barret and Aerith said the souls of the departed returned to the Lifestream. But without the Lifestream, if Shinra sucked the land dry of all mako, what would happen then to the deceased? Would they be forced to wander aimlessly like the Gi? She thought of her mother and father, and the pain in her chest grew stronger.

Dead, frozen flowers lined the ruined path, and a flash of pink caught her eye. She forced herself forward, dizzy and light-headed, and climbed steps long abandoned. Maybe this city had once been beautiful, and full of life.

Blood dripped onto the ruined steps from above, and at the top lay Aerith, a long sword impaled through her chest. Her body was unmoving and her hand outstretched, and her eyes were wide yet empty. Tifa fell to her knees, and tried to reach out a bloody hand to Aerith's own. She was cold, too cold, and she could barely move her fingers anymore. Her vision blurred and darkened, and just as she reached Aerith, something sharp sliced through her neck, and she fell deeper into darkness.

Tifa finally opened her eyes, and the darkness of night greeted her.

With a grunt she forced herself to sit up, both recognizing and not the Nibelheim inn. Her hometown, restored, but it wasn't the same. She touched her chest, and felt no blood or pain. Yet remnants of a scar lay beneath the cloth; skin grafts could only do so much. She let out a heavy sigh and glanced at the bed beside hers. Aerith slept peacefully, and at least that sight was no dream.

Quietly she left the inn room and headed downstairs to the entrance. Outside she spotted Barret sitting on the front steps, and in his hand was a photograph of Marlene. She sat beside him and he greeted her with a nod. "Can't sleep either, huh?" he said.

Tifa shook her head. "Too restless, I guess."

"Homecomin' ain't all it's cracked up to be."

Despite herself, Tifa couldn't help but laugh, weak as it was. Didn't Barret know that feeling all too well, she thought. "No, it really isn't."

Barret sighed and cast a glance at a group of nearby black-robed figures, unmoving and huddled close together. "Though, I at least knew what to expect. This is…"

"Creepy, right?" Tifa finished. "Everything's almost the same as it was, but not quite."

"It's like a bad dream." Barret pocketed the photograph of Marlene and glanced down at Tifa. "Speakin' of which, it was a nightmare, wasn't it?"

"Do you have nightmares too?"

"'Course I do. Almost every damn night, it feels like."

Tifa drew her knees to her chest and saw Barret touch the dog tags at his throat, and she could just barely make out Marlene's name engraved on the second. "We all really have been through a lot, haven't we?" she muttered.

Barret gave Tifa's shoulder a light pat. "I ain't very good at this kinda thing, but I'll listen if you wanna talk."

She smiled weakly, and was silent a moment loner before speaking again. "I dream of that night often, when Sephiroth burned everything." She hesitated again; Cloud had described the terror of that night so vividly, but still she couldn't remember him actually being present. "Of my family and neighbors all dead. But lately it's not just them."

"I get you." Again Barret touched his dog tags; Tifa could imagine what nightmares he suffered, of losing his wife and his hometown, of Dyne's anger and grief. "I wanna say none of us will kick the bucket, but you're right, there's a chance we won't all make it back. That's what you wanna say, right?"

"Is it foolish to say I'm scared?"

"No, of course not!" Barret inhaled deeply. "I'm scared shitless of leaving Marlene fatherless, but if I turn back now, there won't be a planet for her at all! Knowin' what I do now and hearin' the Planet's cries, I have to keep fightin', 'til the end. For Marlene, and all of us."

Tifa leaned her head back, staring up at the night sky. Living all those years in Midgar beneath the plate, she had almost forgotten what the stars looked like. She glanced at Barret beside her. "Something worth fighting for, huh?"

Barret's expression grew grim. "There's somethin' I haven't told anyone. Before we set out for Shinra Tower, I wrote a will."

"A will?" Tifa pursed her lips. "I never thought about that."

"Well, I don't know how legal mine is, considerin' me and Aerith's mom cobbled it together real quickly." Again Barret let out a deep sigh, and stared up at the stars. "Basically, if somethin' were to happen to me, she'd be Marlene's guardian. That wasn't an easy conversation to have, let me tell you."

"I can only imagine. But Elmyra's a good woman."

"Yeah, she really is. It's no wonder Aerith's the firecracker she is."

Tifa stilled a moment, and felt her heart skip a beat. "O-Oh, of course…"

Barret eyed Tifa strangely. "You okay there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tifa tried to smile. "It's just, despite everything, I'm glad I met her."

"Is that so?" Barret grinned and stood. "There's nothin' left to do but see all this through to the end, so maybe we should try to get some shut-eye, yeah?"

As Tifa and Barret bid each other goodnight, she returned to her inn room and saw that Aerith was still asleep. A smile tugged at her lips, and her heart began to race. If not for Aerith, likely she would still be in the slums, uncertain and indecisive, and never seeing the stars again. She laid her hand over her chest, and felt a phantom pain. That nightmare was just that - a nightmare. Thus she tried to tell herself.

She didn't dream again as she fell asleep, but neither could she call it restful.

"Monsters! Monsters are attacking!"

It was barely morning, but time and monsters waited for no one. Still, Tifa wasn't about to complain - protecting the townspeople was most important, after all.

"Looks like the monsters are coming from the forest," Cloud said, readying his sword.

Barret cast Cloud a sideways glance. "Ever had to worry about forest monsters when you were a kid?"

"No, not quite," Tifa said, cracking her knuckles. "The adults always warned us the forest wasn't safe, but there were never monsters like these."

"Tch, probably Shinra experiments, then," Barret muttered.

While Yuffie and Red XIII remained with the townspeople, Tifa, Aerith, Cloud, and Barret charged toward the mass of monsters emerging from the forest. Tifa clenched her fists tightly, shifting her fighting stance. The monsters were vaguely humanoid, pale and lanky, almost like mannequins, but their skin appeared as rough as tree bark. They were also tall, taller than even Barret, and their limbs were twisted and disjointed. Aerith was the first to strike, laying down wards to quicken her attacks, and Barret let loose with a barrage of bullets.

The monsters shrieked, a high-pitched wailing almost like static, but they didn't slow their advance. Cloud slashed at one with his sword, almost slicing it in half while Tifa pummeled another who had gotten too close, staggering it. Yet despite how they screamed, they hardly seemed to feel pain.

"How troublesome," Aerith said as she bashed a monster over the head with her staff, and it crumbled to the ground. However, just as quickly was it back on its feet, swiping with its large talons.

"Watch out!" Tifa cried, and a well-timed kick shoved the monster away from Aerith. She flashed Tifa a relieved smile, but that relief was short-lived as more monsters lunged for them.

Separated from Barret and Cloud, Tifa and Aerith stood back-to-back as they fought these strange monsters, and feeling Aerith's presence so close to her, Tifa felt stronger than ever. The warmth of Aerith's magic surged through her, and she sent her fist through the torso of a lunging monster, and much to her shock, it shattered into dust before her.

"What the—?" she said, but a cry of pain behind her caught her attention. She turned on her heel, but another monster slammed into her, sending the both of them rolling down a hill and into a thicket deeper in the forest.

Pinned to the ground and out of sight of her companions, Tifa seized the monster's wrists before it could bore down into her. It snarled wildly, revealing disfigured and uneven fangs, and Tifa managed enough leverage to knee it in the gut to force it off of her. As it stumbled back and regained its balance, she quickly jumped to her feet and began pummeling it, over and over.

She felt some pity for the creature, twisted as it was by Shinra's mako experiments, or perhaps it was simply a byproduct of Shinra's environmental pollution. But as she was now, there was nothing she could do to help it.

The monster soon fell to the ground, unmoving, and Tifa finally stopped, her breathing heavy. She glanced around and saw nothing but forest, and cursed under her breath; she should've paid more attention to her surroundings as she fought. She hadn't made such an amateur mistake in a long time.

She let out a deep sigh, but managed a smile nonetheless. It'd also been a long time since she had reason to laugh at herself.

A distorted shriek startled her, and the monster had gotten back to its feet. It twitched and convulsed, and suddenly its upper half exploded, spraying dark blood everywhere. Tifa raised her arms to shield herself, and felt sick to her stomach as she risked a glance at the monster.

Its upper body had split down the middle, opening in the shape of a wilting, bleeding flower, and the stench was even worse. Vines shot out from the pulsing mass, and for a moment Tifa was too stunned in shock to react, and that brief moment was all the monster needed. In the blink of an eye, it lunged forward, its vines flailing wildly, and one managed to seize Tifa around the neck and fling her into a nearby tree.

Pain shot through her body, unable to brace herself in time. She tried to stand, but the vine around her throat tightened, cutting off her air. Immediately her hands went to her throat, trying to pry the vine away, and she gagged as the monster jerked her forward. Even as her vision blurred, she could still see the pulsing mass of petal-shaped organs where its torso used to be.

Struggling, her lungs burned for air and saliva trailed from her lips. She couldn't breathe at all, and the monster seemed content to watch as it strangled her. (If it could still see, she had no idea, she would think afterwards.) Gritting her teeth, she summoned what remained of her strength to dig her fingers into the fleshy vine choking her. Everything felt so far away, but as her muscles bulged, soon she felt something give beneath her fingers. With a mighty heave she tore the vine from her throat, and sweet air filled her aching lungs.

"Tifa!"

Aerith's voice rang clear, and Tifa fell to her knees, coughing and sputtering as she clutched her bruised throat. The monster shrieked again, and a vine struck Tifa in the side, and suddenly the stench of blood filled her nose. The last thing she saw as her vision went black was Aerith rushing toward her with fire around the ends of her staff.

Tifa heard a voice, gentle yet firm, beckoning her, and she caught a faint scent of flowers. She forced her eyes open, and the first thing she saw were Aerith's own, a verdant green like nature.

Aerith's face broke into a relieved smile. "Good, you're awake now."

Wordlessly Tifa followed the line of Aerith's arms, and Aerith's hands were pressed to her side and engulfed by a faint green glow. Green materia were slotted inside her bangles, and on the wooden floor was one of her magical wards. Such wards often strengthened magic or increased her companions' speed, Tifa remembered.

"You weren't hurt too badly," Aerith added. "I think it was the shock that knocked you out. None of your blood even got on your skirt. Your shirt, however…"

"Is that monster…?" Tifa said carefully, and winced at the hoarseness of her voice.

"Dead. Fried to a crisp."

Tifa tried not to laugh. She knew well the force of Aerith's wrath, despite having the unassuming appearance of a gentle florist.

"Finished!" Aerith proclaimed proudly, and the glow of the healing materia vanished. "You won't even have to worry about a scar!"

Carefully Tifa touched her side, and no longer felt any pain. With Aerith's help she sat up, and glanced around. They were inside a worn wooden shack, and outside she could hear the fall of rain. A lantern had been lit, granting some light and warmth.

Aerith shrugged, an awkward smile on her lips. "Luckily it didn't start raining until after I found this little hut."

"I know this place," Tifa said quietly. "It's been abandoned so long, and when I was a kid, me and my friends sometimes used it as a hideout."

"Given how deep in the forest it is, I can only imagine how worried your parents were."

"That was almost part of the fun."

A quiet laugh fell from Aerith's lips, and suddenly Tifa found herself wondering how soft those lips would be. Silence soon fell over them, only broken by the heavy rainfall outside. They hadn't known each other for very long, she knew, but sometimes it was easy to forget that. The best friendships were forged in fire, but as she again found herself staring at Aerith's lips, something else tugged at her thoughts.

She remembered that nightmare, of blood pooling from Aerith's lifeless body, and quickly turned her face away.

Her hands went to her throat, feeling for any bruising or roughness, and saw the monster's blood all over her hands and arms. She glanced down at herself, and her white shirt was also covered in that monster's blood.

"I collected some rainwater earlier, so I can help you wash off that blood, if you'd like," Aerith said, laying a hand on Tifa's shoulder.

Tifa nodded wordlessly, and turned away as she pulled off her shirt and bra. Her cheeks burned; why was she so self-conscious now? She and Aerith had undressed in front of each other before. It wasn't as if Aerith had never seen the remnants of the scarring from Sephiroth's sword, and enough of it had been eased by skin grafts that she could wear low-cut dresses and swimsuits. She stared at the shirt in her hands; but compared to Aerith's, her own breasts were large and vulgar.

"Tifa?" came Aerith's voice. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no!" Tifa replied quickly as she thrust her shirt and bra into Aerith's hand, and she held her other arm over her breasts. "Just… lost in thought."

Aerith accepted the pieces of clothing and gave Tifa a damp cloth in return, and placed the shirt and bra in a basin of collected rainwater. Tifa carefully scrubbed the blood from her skin, and again silence fell over the two of them. Her heart still raced, and for a moment she had seen Aerith's gaze dip to her chest.

She was used to people staring at her breasts, and all the vulgar comments that came with such leers, but she was tired of hiding their size. Back in Midgar, Marle had told her that people who made disparaging remarks about others' bodies weren't worth listening to. But other times she was too aware of how large her breasts were compared to Aerith's, and she didn't want Aerith to think her body unsightly.

(She could almost laugh at herself, worrying more about the size of her breasts than her scars. However, her scars were a reminder of all that she had lost, and all that would be lost if she stopped fighting.)

Wrapping her arms around herself, she took another glance around the small shed. That it was still standing was a miracle in it of itself, somehow having escaped the destruction of Nibelheim, but it had also seemed so much larger as a child. Now, it was barely large enough for two grown adults, and if she reached out her hand just a little, she would be able to touch Aerith's warmth. She shivered, drawing her knees to her chest.

Aerith laid an old piece of cloth across Tifa's shoulders. "Sorry, it's all I could find, but at least it's dry."

"…Thank you," Tifa whispered, drawing the cloth tighter around herself, more for modesty than warmth. It smelled faintly of moths.

Aerith sat beside Tifa and carefully reached out to lift her chin, and examined her throat. "How are you feeling?" Aerith asked. "Any pain or soreness?"

Tifa shook her head. "Good enough, I think." She tried to smile. "You're the best of all of us at healing magic."

"Mm, it's mostly the wards." Aerith let her hand fall, and her fingertips just barely brushed along the length of Tifa's throat, and Tifa tried not to shudder at that touch. "I put them down to ask the Lifestream for help, and I must be doing something right if it hasn't refused me."

"Wait, no one taught you those wards?"

Aerith smiled grimly. "Nope, it's all instinct! My birth mother never had the chance to teach me the proper prayers, and there's so much I don't know about our history or culture…"

Tifa felt her chest tighten, and she stared intently at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, it's not your fault!" Aerith patted Tifa's shoulder. "I'm just glad it was enough to help you!"

"You're always bailing me out of trouble, aren't you?"

"Heh, I could say the same to you."

Both women laughed, and Tifa could not help but notice how lovely Aerith's smile was. "I'm glad we met," she said, her voice still quiet, and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

Yet Aerith's green eyes grew clouded. "There's something on your mind, isn't there?" She drew closer to Tifa. "I'm here to listen if you want to talk."

Those were the same words Barret had said to Tifa last night, but talking with him was different than with Aerith, in a way she couldn't quite put into words. "I'm… not sure how to start," she said at last.

Aerith gave Tifa a reassuring smile. "Just whatever pops into your head first, okay?"

Tifa inhaled deeply, hesitating a moment. "Are you afraid of dying?"

The way Aerith's eyes widened, Tifa immediately regretted that question. She opened her mouth, about to apologize, but then that faint, familiar smile returned to Aerith's lips. "I'll be lying if I said I wasn't, but in going on this journey, I've learned so much about the world and met you and everyone else." She paused a moment, and pressed her hand to Tifa's cheek. "Sure, I've lost friends and family - we all have - but I don't want to be afraid any longer."

Tifa stilled, and Aerith's hand on her face was so very gentle. When Aerith looked at her like that, it was hard to think sometimes. "We might not all make it back," she whispered, thinking of Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge.

"I know." Aerith's voice also fell to a whisper. "I think what I fear most is you just disappearing one day and I never find out what happened to you. To never know someone's fate - it's so incredibly painful."

"I'm sorry, that was a painful question, wasn't it?" Tifa said with a sigh.

"Yes, but that's not a bad thing." Aerith laughed weakly and bumped her shoulder against Tifa's. "You don't need to apologize so much."

"Sor—" Tifa began to say, but caught herself in time, and again she and Aerith laughed, quiet as it was.

It was nice, sometimes, to have quiet moments like these. Even if it was inside a cramped, abandoned shed and Tifa had a dingy cloth draped around her bare shoulders. Still the rain outside fell, and she hoped Cloud and the others weren't too worried about them and the townspeople hadn't been hurt by those strange monsters. In her childhood, she had never seen such creatures.

"Is it… difficult being back in your hometown like this?" Aerith asked carefully. "I mean, if that's not too insensitive a question."

"It doesn't really feel like a homecoming, no. It looks the same, but it's not." Tifa let out a deep sigh. "Maybe Shinra's trying to pretend it never happened, and it's also a convenient way to shove all those black-robed figures out of sight and out of mind. But I can never forget that day."

Aerith bit her lip. "I can't even imagine how painful it was."

Tifa reached a hand beneath the cloth, feeling the scarring on her chest. That Cloud could so accurately describe the terror and grief of that day still disturbed her; the only members of SOLDIER on that mission had been Sephiroth and Zack. The other two had been low-ranking foot soldiers. But there was still much she couldn't remember herself, and meeting Doctor Sheiran in Corel hadn't eased all those worries. "Maybe it's being here again that's making me so morbid," she said. "I'm… afraid of dying too, and of losing you, but I can't promise I won't die."

"I can't either," Aerith muttered, lowering her gaze. "We walk a dangerous path, all of us. But I won't regret it."

Again Tifa recalled her earlier conversation with Barret about his will. They had all faced death so many times. She had thought she would die when Sephiroth slashed her. When the plate fell on Sector 7. When Cloud attacked her at the Gongaga reactor and she fell into the mako. Maybe someday soon her luck would run out. Maybe they would all fall in their journey and the Planet would be doomed. She shivered again, and the cloth around her shoulders did little to ward away the chill. Most of all she feared losing Aerith.

"Tifa," Aerith said firmly, drawing Tifa's face closer to hers. "I know we can't promise each other we won't die, but I just ask that you trust me."

The way Aerith looked at her now, with such fierce longing and determination, Tifa found she could no longer speak. Instead, she raised a shaking hand to cup Aerith's cheek, and closed the distance between them with a kiss.

Aerith was still only a moment, and then returned that kiss with even greater fervor. She seized Tifa's face and kissed her over and over. Both of their kisses were clumsy and desperate, igniting a new fire in the pity of Tifa's belly. She didn't want to stop, she wanted to go further. She didn't want to have any regrets either.

They soon pulled apart, breathless, and the cloth had fallen from Tifa's shoulders, leaving her torso bare. Aerith's gaze fell upon Tifa's breasts, her eyes widening, and heat crept to Tifa's cheeks. Yet the longing in those green eyes remained true, and carefully Aerith drew her fingers along the remnants of Tifa's scar, and Tifa could not stop the shudder that shot through her body.

Aerith's hand stilled. "Does it ever hurt?"

"No… no, it doesn't," Tifa said breathlessly, and wondered if Aerith could feel her racing heartbeat. "Not in a long time."

A slow smile spread across Aerith's lips, and she kissed Tifa again, more gently. She cupped Tifa's breasts, lightly at first but then gave them a firm squeeze, and Tifa gasped against her lips. Already Tifa felt her nipples tightening, and she broke the kiss to take in Aerith's expression. Aerith's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she looked upon Tifa's body with both wonder and desire. She glanced up at Tifa, and let out an embarrassed giggle. "They really are big, huh?"

Tifa suppressed the urge to cross her arms over her chest. "You don't think they're unsightly or vulgar?"

For a moment surprise crossed Aerith's face, and then gave Tifa an understanding smile. "Right, you probably heard some nasty things growing up…" She shook her head. "No, I think you're beautiful. All of you." She planted a kiss on the curve of Tifa's breast, and that burning deep within Tifa grew even stronger.

Again their lips came together for a kiss, and Aerith's fingers tightened around Tifa's breasts, digging into the tender flesh. It was almost painful, but Tifa found she rather liked it. As Aerith broke the kiss, she gave Tifa a wolfish smile before lowering her lips to Tifa's throat, teeth brushing against the skin. All the while she gave both of Tifa's nipples a harsh pinch, sending a jolt of pleasure through Tifa's body. Tifa squirmed, biting down on her lip; how would such a simple motion unravel her so much?

"You really are beautiful," Aerith murmured against Tifa's throat, her voice low and heated. "I'm so, so glad I met you…" She left a trail of kisses along Tifa's collarbone and then toward her cleavage, and still her fingers teased Tifa's aching nipples mercilessly.

Her mind a haze of lust, Tifa managed to work her way out of her skirt and underwear, and Aerith took her hands off Tifa's body long enough for Tifa to help her out of her clothes as well. Once nude, however, Aerith's hands were quick to return to Tifa's body, her fingers exploring every curve and blemish, and Tifa pressed herself more into that adoring touch. She had many scars, and Aerith brushed her lips over the one on her chest. Her body quivered; she wanted to bare all of herself to Aerith.

Desperate, clumsy, their hands explored each other's bodies wherever they could reach. Aerith especially enjoyed teasing Tifa's breasts, but Tifa found Aerith's hips were particularly sensitive, and as she reached down to cup Aerith's rear and give it a good squeeze, Aerith let out a sharp gasp.

"That's unfair," Aerith said with a fake pout, her cheeks flushed.

A smirk tugged at Tifa's lips. "I think it's only fair, given how obsessed you are with fondling my breasts."

"Oh, is that so?" Aerith returned Tifa's smirk with one of her own, and she bent her head to take one of Tifa's nipples between her lips. Tifa threw her head back, Aerith's tongue cool against her nipple; how could something so simple feel so good? And as if that wasn't enough, Aerith slid her free hand between Tifa's thighs.

Tifa wasn't ignorant of sex, but neither had she given it much thought. Living in the slums of Midgar, in the shadow of Shinra, romance had seemed a pipe dream. She'd tried pleasuring herself sometimes, but even that had left her unfulfilled. The feeling of Aerith's fingers inside her now, however, was like nothing she had ever felt. She couldn't stop the moans that fell from her lips, her body squirming against Aerith's fingers. Her breathing rough, she reached her own hand between Aerith's thighs, hoping to share even a fraction of that pleasure Aerith now granted her.

It was an awkward position, and their rhythm uneven. Aerith brushed her teeth against Tifa's breast, and Tifa put her free arm around Aerith's back to draw her closer. Their bodies were warm and covered in sweat, and in this moment Tifa wanted nothing more than to feel Aerith close to her, as close as possible.

Maybe if the dawn never came, they could remain like this, with no fear of death. But such a dream could never be promised.

Tifa came soon enough, her aching clit finally giving way to pleasure. That ecstasy filled every inch of her being, and she just barely had enough willpower left to keep her own fingers moving long enough to help Aerith reach climax as well. Aerith came with a breathless cry, tightening around Tifa's fingers, and Aerith then pressed her lips to Tifa's for another kiss.

The rain outside came down harder, and Tifa and Aerith lay close together on the floor, and the light in the lantern was nearly gone. Silence fell over them, and Aerith reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Tifa's ear. Tifa shut her eyes a moment; this shed seemed so much smaller now than when she had been a child, but maybe that was all right too.

"We really won't be returning to town tonight, huh?" Aerith said with a faint smile. "Hope the others aren't too worried."

"It's fine, I think. I'd rather not go traversing around the woods in the rain."

"Oh, I definitely agree with that. And if it means more time alone with you, then who am I to argue?"

Tifa chuckled, weak as it was. She wondered if she was being selfish, taking a reprieve like this while the Planet cried out in pain. She was still scared, of course, of what the group would discover in Nibelheim, of the dangers they would face. Yet nothing would change if she just remained still.

"Tifa," Aerith said firmly, laying her hand on Tifa's cheek and tracing Tifa's lips with her thumb. "I'm here for you. Never forget that."

Tifa laid her hand over Aerith's, and her heart began to settle. "Thank you, Aerith," was all she could say. Their journey was too uncertain to make any other promises.

When she eventually fell asleep, no nightmares came for her.

By morning, the rain had stopped and Tifa's shirt and bra were fully dried, so she and Aerith made their way back to town. No monsters attacked them, much to Tifa's relief, and although the path had washed away, she was still familiar enough with this area to lead Aerith.

She tried to ignore how barren the trees were, and how little green was left. Even if they were able to end their dependence on mako, was the damage already done by Shinra too much to recover from? Even without Sephiroth's ambitions of destruction, was the world's fate already sealed?

As if sensing Tifa's thoughts, Aerith touched her hand. "There's no need to worry. We've come too far to fail."

Tifa only nodded, and her eyes fell upon Aerith's lips. In one night, everything seemed to change between them, but Aerith's gentle smile put Tifa's heart at ease as it always did. What they were now, friends or something more, she was still trying to figure out, but more than ever she was grateful for the trust between them.

They soon made it back to town, and standing in front of the inn were Cloud and Barret. Cloud nudged Barret with his arm and said, "I told you they could take care of themselves."

"Hey, it's normal for friends to worry about friends!" Barret retorted.

Aerith giggled. "Aw, I was hoping for a more tearful reunion."

Tifa's fingers tightened around Aerith's. "I think that's the best we can expected from those two."

Together they rushed forward to greet Barret and Cloud, and Tifa could at least promise herself she would see this journey through to the end.