5idrelle-miocovani on... I think it was tumblr, made a post about how Tifa after the Reactor 5 mission. So, it inspired this. Thank you, ho ho ho!
They were back, back in the sector seven slums, the air stale and burning her nose. The dirt paths were abuzz with chatter as Tifa and Barret melded into the crowds of people talking about the sector five reactor exploding.
Tifa marched ahead.
"Hey, Tifa! Tifa!"
She didn't slow down for him. He knew how to get to the bar by himself.
They should have helped Cloud, somehow. They could have...couldn't they have? Maybe if Barret had fought off those robots, and maybe she could have…
What could either of them have done?
Tifa opened up the door to the bar, finding several expectant faces looking her way. Jessie, Biggs, Wedge…
"Hey, you made it back in one piece!" Jessie exclaimed.
But she didn't…
"Where's Barret and Cloud?" Biggs asked.
She moved her mouth a little, then finally managed to form a sentence. "Barret's on his way, don't worry."
Wedge stood up from his seat, coming closer as she crossed behind the counter, ready to hit the bottle. "What about Cloud?"
"...I don't think he's going to make it back tonight," she answered lowly, fishing for a glass. "He was...on the other side of the bridge when we had to escape."
"Oh…" Wedge looked around, then gave her a smile. "I bet he'll be back in no time!"
Tifa didn't answer him. She poured herself some of the moonshine the locals sold her and took a long sip of the deceptively sweet drink. It burned like Ifrit's Hellfire down her throat, but it dulled nothing in her heart.
She lost him again, and this time, she wasn't getting him back.
Another draw of moonshine, deeper, but still not doing what it should. It wasn't numbing her to the fact she lost her friend, and it was her fault. She wanted him on that mission, she wanted him there, with her.
She wanted to keep an eye on him. But now, because of that, he was gone...dashed upon the shantytown below.
He wasn't coming back.
The others were whispering amongst themselves, but that was okay. She didn't really feel like talking at the moment. She wanted to wake from this nightmare she found herself in. Tifa refilled her glass and hoped this one would finally help. Now, she sat on the opposite side of the counter, resting on a bar stool.
She spied the flower as it rested in the vase, and she almost choked. Her hand squeezed the glass, and she turned away from it, finding refuge in the front of the bar. Glances went towards her, but fortunately, they seemed to understand she wasn't in the mood. A gulp of moonshine later, and finally a faint numbing began to take hold.
Halfway through her second helping, she became aware of a commotion. She looked up to see Barret coming through the door, blood splattered on his gun arm, and a jacket in his good hand. Tifa would be more upset with him, but self-loathing won out.
"What happened?" she asked as evenly as she could.
Barret looked at her and raised the jacket. "Had some thugs snoopin' around. One wanted to dance."
Wedge nodded quietly, then looked closely at the jacket. "So, uh, why'd you take his jacket?"
"Seen this emblem before," Barret responded. "I think we got someone's attention."
"Hm." Biggs took the jacket, studying the back with Jessie's head over his shoulder. "I've definitely seen this design before."
"It's so tacky," Jessie said.
"Yep. This belonged to one of Don Corneo's men," Biggs deduced.
Tifa fingered the edge of the glass, mind fogging a little at the edges, but dreadfully curious all the same. "Why would he be sending his men here?"
"For no good reason, I can tell you that much," Biggs responded.
Barret let out a disapproving grunt. "So, we're gonna have to have a little talk with 'em."
Biggs shook his head as he lowered the jacket. "That's a good way to get killed. The Don has hundreds of men working for him."
"So does Shinra, and we've been kickin' their ass the last couple days!"
Tifa quietly hissed to herself and finished the rest of the moonshine. "I can get him to talk."
The four turned towards her and blinked. Jessie put her hands on her hips. "...How're you gonna do that?"
"I'll be his bride. When I get into his room, I'll just beat the information out of him." She placed the glass on the counter behind her, making a loud clink.
"I think you hit the bottle a bit too hard, Tifa," Biggs replied.
"You aren't gonna do that...are you?" Wedge asked, rubbing the back of his head.
She nodded firmly, her red eyes glaring. "Yes, I am. Jessie, get ahold of Chocobo Sam. Tell him I'll go in."
Jessie cringed but nodded regardless. "He'll be delighted, I'm sure."
Tifa watched her friend leave, and, looking at the rest, she decided she had enough talking for the evening. "I'm going to call it a night. See you tomorrow," she said as she rose from her seat.
Barret stopped her before she could go out the door. She didn't look at him. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I was wrong about Cloud."
She nodded slowly, swallowing thickly, then walked out the door.
The streets were still busy as she headed towards Stargazer Heights, the alcohol's effects still churning through her body. She noticed Marle speaking to a group near the item shop and felt a pang of guilt as she passed her by.
Marle could wait until tomorrow. Maybe. Tifa simply didn't want to talk right now. She trudged on, home in sight.
The sound of her shoes on the stairs sounded painfully noisy. Hopefully, she didn't wake up Marco. She stood outside her door, staring at her doorknob, then looked over at apartment 202.
Cloud's room.
Biting her lip, she went towards it, opening the door and walking inside. It was as bare as the day she invited him in, storage boxes still piled up on the table. His new toothbrush was resting in its little cup, next to his razor and shaving cream.
The moonshine was trying and failing to work.
His bed was made...unsurprising for a SOLDIER boy. There was a folded pair of sweatpants hanging off the metal end of the bed, and his night table had a few bills and coins on it. The boy next door…
"Oyasumi, Tifa."
Tifa plopped down on the mattress, her body sinking down until her head was cushioned by his pillow. She got a whiff of his musk and a slight tinge of mako, taking her back to when they both lived in Nibelheim, so close yet so distant. And then he came back to her, after she lost everyone, and…
Cloud was gone.
There was no pondering about his fate this time. Hot tears flowed from her bloodshot eyes, soaking the pillow as she heaved and shuddered. She should have told him it was alright, that he didn't need to help her with this. She could have gotten him safer work.
She should have told him he didn't need to help her out of this pinch…
Her hand crept under the pillow, looking to draw it closer as her face snuggled in it. It touched something hard. With a loud sniffle, she grabbed whatever it was, and found herself holding a crescent moon earring. She stared at it, unaware of the whine coming from her throat.
Tifa held it close, her breath quivering as she inhaled. She called his name hoarsely, choking it out until it was a barely comprehensible rasp.
She laid there for however many hours before sleep overtook her.
Tifa stared at herself in the mirror as she put the finishing touches on her face, the lipstick making her lips pout out further. Finished, she looked at the dress she wore and tried not to cry again. Her hand rubbed the deep blue fabric, teasing her chest.
She was supposed to wear this on her date with Cloud.
They would have had fun, she was sure. It was supposed to be a fun dress. But now, it was just business. A way to get into Don Corneo's mansion, instead of getting closer to Cloud.
He had been opening up quickly, too. Maybe he had a few strange quirks, but…
Stop it,she willed, her eyes burning and on the verge of tears again. She would never forget him, ever. The others said they would try to find his sword and make a small memorial for him; the feelings that came over her felt superfluous, but she liked the thought regardless. He deserved that.
Her hand reached out for the earring she found in his room. She put it on her ear, and she examined it as it hung there.
"My good luck charm," she decided.
There was a knock on the door. She went to see who it was, finding Jessie waiting for her. "Hey...all ready?"
Tifa nodded faintly, exhaling sharply through her nose. "Yeah. I am."
"Okay. Wedge is keeping Marle busy, so...you can slip out unnoticed."
"Thanks." If Marle knew what she was doing, the poor woman would have a stroke...after beating the living tar out of the carriage driver.
She left her room but soon found her embraced by Jessie. "I'm so sorry, Tifa."
"Me, too," she whispered back. She had to pull herself away from her friend before she ruined her makeup. "Wish me luck."
Tifa carefully walked down the stairs, a chocoboboy waiting for her, next to an old fashioned carriage. He tipped his hat at her. "Miss Lockhart, I presume?"
She nodded firmly. "That's me."
"I'll be takin' you to the Don's mansion, ma'am," he said as he pulled out a fancy envelope. "You'll need this. It's Chocobo Sam's recommendation."
Tifa carefully took the envelope, crisp and white, then followed him to the carriage door. She took a seat, and soon found the carriage trundling forward. She saw Jessie, and gave her a final, reassuring wave before crowds of slum dwellers swallowed her vision.
Alone with her thoughts again, and they refused to look forward for long. It would go from what she would say to Corneo, to Cloud, to how she would act in front of the Don's goons, to how she couldn't save her childhood friend, to how a drink would be great right now, to how she lost someone she cared about, too—
"Tifa!"
She looked through the back entrance of the carriage.
There were two glowing blue eyes in the gloom charging closer, attached to someone she thought for sure was dead.
"Cloud!"
