Chapter 46
Aeris wanted to pretend she was fine, but Tifa knew better. The Shinra building was her Nibelheim, after a fashion. The site of a prolonged trauma. Seven years in captivity, of watching her mother suffer only to lose her once they finally escaped.
Tifa had tried to talk to her about it, but she rejected the effort, wanting to leave it firmly in the past. So instead Tifa tried to be strong for her, but this place would wear on anyone. It was such a cramped space, and the lights were always on. They told the time by the meals they were brought. Lucrecia relayed messages from their friends, but some times were easier for her to slip her guard than others, and there was nothing reliable about it.
Jessie and the others had reached Midgar, though. They knew that much.
"I can't wait to see everyone," said Tifa, as though it had been a casual separation and not a forced one. "I wonder how Wedge is getting on with Yuffie and Vincent."
"Hmm," said Aeris, the remark drawing her out of a distant silence. "Well, you know Yuffie. She kind of makes it a point not to get along with people at first."
"She does, doesn't she? You have to figure that's her way of testing them. I hope Wedge doesn't take it personally."
"I'm sure Jessie can tell him what's up."
"It's the first time those two have been to Midgar, too. I can guess how much Yuffie's going to like it, but I wonder if it might suit Vincent. It's a pretty brooding kind of place."
"Maybe," said Aeris.
Tifa sat down beside her on the cot and took her hand. "Hey. We're getting out of here soon."
"I know. I'm sorry. I really didn't think this would be so..."
"Of course it's rough," said Tifa. "But I'm here with you."
"Mom was here with me..."
Was she worried about the escape, too? "Come on. After all we've been through? This is nothing. It's not even the first time we've escaped from this building. Shinra couldn't stop us then, and we're stronger now."
"Yeah... You're right."
Tifa gave her hand a squeeze. "So let's think about everything we're going to do once we're out. Maybe we could go by your house and check on your flowers. It's been a while."
Aeris smiled. "I remember that first time you saw them. You were so stunned... I'd never seen anyone so beautiful."
"W-what?" Tifa laughed.
Aeris seemed to perk up with the opportunity to tease her. "I have a confession," she said. "That was at least fifty percent of the reason I helped you that night."
"Just because of my looks, huh?"
"Can you blame me? You are really hot."
Tifa tucked her hair behind her ear. "You... were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, too."
"So if the situation were reversed, I bet you would've come to my rescue."
"In a heartbeat."
Aeris shook her head. "Damn it, Tifa, you've got to stop being so sincere! It's making it really hard to tease you."
"Aha. I've finally found a weapon against it."
"You--"
The door opened.
"Please tell me you guys weren't making out here."
"Yuffie!" Aeris exclaimed. They both leapt to their feet, and Aeris threw her arms around the girl.
"Hey!" said Yuffie, pushing her off.
"It's good to see you," said Tifa as she joined them in the corridor. Lucrecia had already let Nanaki out and was moving on to the next cell. Vincent stood watch at the end of the block.
"Yeah, same," Yuffie admitted. "But let's save the mushy stuff for later, okay? We took out the guards down the hall, so we've gotta move before somebody notices."
"Where's Jessie?" Aeris wondered.
"Downstairs with Barret, if everything's going okay. We're gonna meet up there."
"Any chance we get our weapons back?" asked Cloud as he joined them.
Yuffie shook her head. "Still no idea where they took our stuff. But we brought some goodies." She nodded over at Vincent, who was carrying a gym bag. He offered it to Cloud, who set it on the floor and unzipped it. Nanaki glanced inside, then trotted over to join Vincent; it wasn't much use to him.
"You guys really just walked in here with a bag of weapons?" Tifa asked, raising her eyebrows. There were several handguns, spare ammo, a string of grenades. Yuffie wore her shuriken on her back, she noticed. Was security that lax?
"Oh, yeah," said Yuffie. "You guys wouldn't have heard. Reeve did a big TV appearance for us, totally ratted out the Shinra on all the shit they've pulled over the years. The security guys were so busy arguing about it when we came in, they didn't even look at us."
Tifa stared at her. "He really said all that? And... people are listening?"
"It's making 'em think," Yuffie confirmed.
It was something they'd always wanted. For people to see how evil Shinra really was. But as AVALANCHE, they hadn't had the credibility to reveal it. Before their efforts, they would've been dismissed as nobodies, jealous of Shinra's success, and then they'd become terrorists, enemies of Shinra who'd say anything to take them down a peg.
But Reeve was different. One of Shinra's own executives.
"That's... big news," said Tifa. "But I'm betting plenty of people still won't believe it. It won't all be smooth sailing, getting out of this building."
She hesitated on reaching for any of those guns, though. Just at the thought of taking one, she recalled the sensation of her finger around the trigger, the silence after the shot. Her fingers clenched shut.
Yuffie glanced at her, and then crouched down to dig through the bag. She pulled out a pair of metal knuckles and offered them to Tifa. "Wedge figured... these were more your speed."
"Thanks," said Tifa.
Cloud took a gun, and he glanced behind him as he stood. Zack's cell was open, but he stood in the doorway, looking down the hall.
"You okay, Zack?" Cloud asked him.
"Y-yeah. Just... can't help thinking about the last time I was here."
Jenova's containment chamber. That was what lay in that direction, Tifa realized. The last time Zack had been here, he'd been under Sephiroth's control.
"Jenova... is still dormant," said Lucrecia. "We're all under our own power here."
Zack gave his head a shake. "Yeah. You're right." He joined them, and bent down to retrieve one of the handguns. "Guns, huh? Guess it would've been a bit much to smuggle a sword in here."
"Definitely not the kind you like to use," said Aeris. There was one remaining, but she didn't take it; Tifa wasn't sure she'd ever so much as touched one, and she had her magic. She threw a questioning look to Lucrecia, not knowing the extent of her experience.
Lucrecia hesitated. "I do know how to use one," she said, "but... I wonder if I should go with you."
Vincent looked sharply back over his shoulder, and Tifa asked, "Why wouldn't you?"
"Holy is coming here for Jenova. What if my presence... puts you all in jeopardy?"
Cloud and Zack exchanged glances, and Vincent strode back to join them, leaving Nanaki on guard. "We aren't leaving you here," he said.
"It's a risk we're all willing to take," Aeris added. "But Holy is the Planet's will, and... it knows us. It knows what we've done for it. It won't wish us any harm."
Lucrecia wrung her hands, and Tifa thought maybe that wasn't the only reason for her reluctance. She looked up at Vincent. "I lost him... a long time ago, didn't I? It's time to let it go."
"We'll leave our mistakes behind here," Vincent said softly. "Let Holy put an end to the nightmare."
Lucrecia smiled ruefully. "Maybe," she said. Taking a breath, she turned back to them, and took the remaining pistol. She weighed it in her hands, like she hadn't held one in a long time, but it wasn't unfamiliar to her.
"All right," said Tifa. She closed the bag and pulled it over her shoulder. "Let's get moving. And... nobody go for kill shots unless you really have to, okay? We need to be better than Shinra."
"Got it," said Zack.
Vincent took point as they headed for the elevators, but no one got in their way. That was too easy, Tifa thought with a frown. She exchanged glances with Aeris.
"They do know where we're headed," Aeris pointed out.
Tifa nodded. "Last time, they overrode the elevators, and there was an arsenal waiting for us when we got out. That has to be what they're up to now."
"We can't just take the stairs?" asked Yuffie.
Lucrecia shook her head. "Stair access on these upper floors is controlled by key card, too. It's the same problem. They can still control where we can exit."
"I'd rather get there fast, then," Tifa decided. "Just in case they haven't caught on yet."
They split up between the two elevators, and headed down. Tifa stood with Aeris and Yuffie on either side of her, Nanaki crouched in front, all of them watching the numbers. Tifa glanced behind them. Midgar stretched out beyond the glass below them, with Sector 7 a dark abyss in its middle. No more fires burning. It had gone silent, she imagined.
"If we receive the same welcome as before," said Nanaki, "do you really think we can handle it this time?"
Tifa glanced down at him. Things were different from before, she thought. They knew each other better. They knew themselves better. "It'll be a hard fight, but... yeah." She looked to Aeris. "You can have a shield spell ready, right?"
Aeris nodded. "And Yuffie, you still have your Lightning materia? Be ready for roboguards."
The elevator reached the 60th floor... and kept on going down. Through the glass, they could see the other elevator moving with them. If they were headed for an ambush, it would be somewhere else. Tifa hoped Jessie and Barret were okay.
"By the way..." said Aeris, "I like your suit, Yuffie."
Yuffie made a face. "That makes one of us. I feel like I can't move in this thing. I don't get why the Turks fight in 'em."
"Well... I guess it's like with the rest of Shinra. It's about hiding what they are under an attractive veneer."
"They don't all seem that bad. I mean, Reno and Elena've both helped us out before. And then there's Vinny."
"'Vinny'?" Tifa repeated, quirking an eyebrow.
"He said it was okay to call him that."
"Guess you two've been doing some bonding," Aeris remarked, exchanging amused glances with Tifa.
"Just a little," said Yuffie.
As the elevator approached the 48th floor, they moved to either side of the doors, avoiding full exposure as much as they could in the small space.
The doors opened with a pleasant ding, and a blast of energy shot through. The glass shattered around them, and everyone shouted. Tifa pulled Aeris close, hoping to shield her from some of it.
Gunfire started up from nearby, the others firing back at their attackers. No more blasts followed into their elevator, and Nanaki darted out. Tifa quickly followed.
Someone grabbed her just through the door. Instinctively, Tifa jammed her elbow back and kicked. The arm released her, and she spun. Rude, of the Turks. Not missing a beat, he swung for her, and she ducked his fist. Her eyes darted across the space beyond the elevators. All of them were here--Tseng, Reno, Elena--backed up by several men from SOLDIER.
Well, they could take them. Tifa focused her attention on Rude. A martial artist, was he? She'd see how Shinra trained them.
Some of the gunfire died down as Aeris's shield spell took effect, rendering Tseng and Elena's bullets ineffective. The SOLDIERs maneuvered their way in for close combat, putting her friends on the defensive. But with everyone backing each other up, Zack managed to disarm one of them, taking the sword for himself. Cloud shoved the SOLDIER into the elevator and smashed the down button.
Yuffie's Bolt spell proved ineffective against Reno, and she switched to ice, countering the Turks' magic as best she could. Nanaki moved in on Tseng, while Vincent and Lucrecia distanced themselves from the fray, taking the shots they could.
"The hell's that!?" Reno exclaimed.
Tifa ignored him, until she landed a solid blow to Rude's gut, and he staggered back, holding up a hand instead of retaliating. Backing up out of his reach, Tifa risked a glance behind her.
In the distance to the north, a bright light had appeared on the horizon.
"Holy..." said Aeris.
"Stand down!" shouted Tseng.
The Turks and the remaining SOLDIERs pulled back, and Tifa motioned for her friends to hold position. They eyed each other warily.
"Aeris, you said Holy is coming here, right?" said Tseng.
Aeris nodded. "We all need to leave, now."
Tseng looked to Reno, to the SOLDIERs. "Forget AVALANCHE," he decided. "Everyone get out of this building."
Reno actually started for the elevators, even though they stood in the way, but Rude caught his shoulder and shook his head.
"Stairs," he said. "We could lose power."
"Pain in the ass," said Reno. He gave Tifa and the others a lazy salute. "Later!"
He, Rude, and Elena headed for the stairwell, followed by the SOLDIERs. On the way out, Reno pulled the fire alarm, and it started wailing.
"Barret and Jessie--" Tifa began.
"We never touched them," said Tseng. "They locked themselves in his room. Two down on the left."
And then he was headed for the exit, too.
Tifa only needed to glance at her friends to know there was no point insisting they go on ahead, and they followed her as she rushed down the hall Tseng had indicated. "Jessie?"
The door slid open, and Jessie peered out, lowering her gun. "Everyone okay?" she asked. "We heard the Turks--"
Tifa nodded, and looked past her to Barret, who sat leaning against a bed, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Relief washed over her, but she didn't have time to dwell in it. "Come on," she said. "Can you walk?"
Zack had already pushed past her, and as Barret found his feet, Zack got under his arm. "Lean on me as much as you want. Probably gonna need to."
They hurried out of the room and back down the hall as fast as Barret could go.
"Where'd they all go?" Barret wondered. "What's that alarm?"
"Fire alarm," Tifa answered quickly. "They're saving their own asses; Holy's about to hit."
"Talk about timing," said Jessie.
Tifa shoved open the door to the stairwell and held it for the others.
"Fuck, we're takin' the stairs?" said Barret.
"'fraid so," said Zack.
"It's okay, it's okay," said Aeris. "Let's just get as far from Jenova as we can."
"But," said Lucrecia, "can we really escape it?"
Tifa met her eye briefly as she passed and then fell in behind her, letting the door fall shut. "Who knows," she said. "We're about to find out."
They were only a few flights down when a distant boom sounded, a deep rumble beneath the blare of the fire alarm, and the lights flickered.
"Was that a reactor?" Jessie wondered.
"Keep moving," said Tifa, exchanging glances with Aeris. The reactors were a fair distance away, on the outskirts of the city, but what did that mean to something like Holy? How fast was it moving now that it had been unleashed?
A few Shinra employees hurried past them down the stairs, hardly sparing a glance for their strange party.
"Y'all can move faster than this," grunted Barret.
"We're not leaving you behind," said Jessie.
Tifa counted floors, and it felt like counting the seconds between lightning and thunder. 35... 34... More rumbling, but nothing close yet. The fire alarm continued to blare, masking Barret's heavy breathing and the sounds of their footfalls. Now and again other employees would push past them. 29... 28...
Barret stumbled into the railing, even with Zack supporting him, and dropped the rifle. Tifa pushed under his other side. "Come on. We're almost halfway now."
"Fuck," he muttered.
23... 22...
A violent jolt shook the building, and Tifa grabbed the railing. The lights shorted out and the alarm went silent, letting them hear the groans of the building in the wake of the impact. Someone elsewhere in the stairwell screamed. Tifa kept her hold on Barret and on the railing until the building steadied again. She could still see all her friends, dimly illuminated by the light of Nanaki's tail.
"Everyone all right?" Tifa asked.
"So far," said Cloud.
They only made it one more flight before Aeris turned suddenly to look behind them. Tifa followed her gaze, and noticed an illumination from above, growing brighter and brighter.
"Zack--" Aeris began.
Vincent drew Lucrecia against him, Cloud ran back up a few steps, and then the light hit.
Everything around them went white, and Tifa shut her eyes against it. Through Barret, she felt Zack stumble, and she hunkered down with them.
But her panic left her, replaced by utter calm. Holy surrounded her, buffeted her. In a way it felt... familiar, like floating on a gentle sea. No, more than that. There was a consciousness here. It seemed to recognize her, like a distant acquaintance she was meeting for the first time in a long time. There was no sound, but somehow there was singing. She felt Aeris's hand in hers.
Then it was gone. She opened her eyes, and realized she still had one arm around Barret and one hand gripping the railing. Aeris's eyes found hers.
The building groaned far above them. Indistinct voices carried down the stairwell, and strangers hesitantly resumed their downward journey.
"Yo, Zack," said Barret.
He had collapsed on Barret's other side, slumped against the wall. Cloud had fallen across the steps just below them, and wasn't getting up. Vincent crouched with Lucrecia in his arms.
Tifa exchanged uneasy glances with Barret and eased herself out from under his arm to check on Cloud.
"Cloud. Can you hear me?"
It was hard to see in the dim, but when she touched his shoulder, she could feel he was breathing. She let out a soft breath and carefully rolled him onto his back. His eyes fluttered and then opened, a Mako glow in the darkness.
"Oh..." said Aeris, a small gasp of relief from just beside her. Her hand found Tifa's shoulder and gripped it. She was shaking a little.
A soft groan made her glance up. Barret was shaking Zack gently, and he was starting to move in response. Holy had come, and they were both still alive.
"How... do you feel?" Tifa asked Cloud.
He stared at her. "...dunno," he admitted, and then he twisted his head to look up. "Zack--?"
"I'm here, buddy," Zack mumbled. "Damn."
From farther below sounded Jessie's cautious voice. "Lucrecia...?"
Only silence answered her for several moments.
"She's still breathing," said Vincent at last, and his voice sounded very small. "She's still breathing..."
"Maybe she... could use a healing spell?" Yuffie suggested uncertainly.
Aeris drew in a sharp breath, squeezed Tifa's shoulder, and then let go. She hurried down to the landing where Vincent knelt. "Let me see."
Tifa found herself holding her breath, but then Barret's foot nudged into her.
"We still gotta get outta this building," he said. "No way to tell how hard Holy hit it. Don't want it to come crashin' down on our heads."
"You're right," she said. "Cloud, you think you can stand?"
His expression said he had no idea, but he reached a shaky hand for the railing, gripped it, and started to pull himself up. Tifa gave him a hand. He found his feet, but she could tell he couldn't keep them without some support. She glanced back at Zack, and without help, he was struggling.
"Aeris?" she called.
"I'm not sure... what's wrong, exactly," Aeris admitted reluctantly. "Maybe a doctor..."
"Then let's focus on getting out of here," said Tifa. "We need some help up here."
Tifa got under Barret's good arm and managed to get him back on his feet, and when he swayed, Jessie rushed to his other side. Between Aeris and the wall, Zack righted himself, and Yuffie let Cloud put an arm across her shoulders. Vincent gathered Lucrecia into his arms and stood.
"...I'll lead the way," said Nanaki.
They were slow following his light downwards, but unexpectedly, the next group of employees that ran into them from above didn't push past. They asked how they could help, gave Zack and Cloud some extra support.
Tifa couldn't help staring at them, the first flight down. She wanted to ask, Don't you know who we are? Vincent, Jessie, and Yuffie might still look the part of fellow Shinra employees--Lucrecia, too--but the rest of them certainly didn't. Was it too hard to see the signs of past battles in the dim? Did they mistake Nanaki for a simple guard hound?
None of them said a word about it. They finally reached the bottom of the stairwell, and one of the employees hurried ahead to open the door for them.
The exit let out into an alleyway beside the building. Nanaki hesitated just outside, and Vincent's boots crunched on broken glass. Tifa chewed on her lip and found herself looking to the few employees who followed along behind them.
"Could you...?" she began, and they were moving in to help support Barret before she could even finish the question.
"Thanks," she said, exchanging baffled glances with Barret as she let him go. She let the others pass and then approached Nanaki. "All right. Ready?"
"You're... really going to carry me?" he said, balking at the idea.
"You want to walk on this barefoot?" she said. "We just need to get past it."
He nodded, and put his forepaws up on her shoulders as she got her arms around him and lifted. Like carrying a big dog, she thought to herself, and definitely didn't say aloud. They followed the others around to the front of the building.
No one was standing too close, but there was a crowd gathered across the street from the entrance, staring upwards. Tifa carefully lowered Nanaki to the ground, and then she looked, too.
All the lights in the building were out, leaving it a looming silhouette against a sky that wasn't much paler. The moon and stars were completely obscured by the smog, but Tifa realized the usual green glow was absent, too. She looked around, but now that they were on the ground level, the buildings around them rose too high to see any of the reactors. They were surrounded by dark shapes, the immediate area illuminated only by Nanaki's tail and a few flashlights.
"Is the whole city dark?" she wondered aloud.
"Seems that way," said Jessie.
"Tifa!"
It was Wedge, shouldering his way past bystanders to reach them. Reeve followed in his wake, and hung back as Wedge embraced her. Tifa hugged him back.
"Oh, I missed you," she said.
"I was worried," said Wedge. "We saw Holy hit the building, it looked like it blew out all the top floors--I didn't know if you guys were still..."
"We're all right, Wedge," said Jessie.
"More or less," Barret added.
Tifa glanced back at the others. He, Cloud, and Zack all sat resting on the curb, though the strangers who had helped them remained nearby, talking quietly. Vincent was one of the few people not looking up at the Shinra building, but rather he stood a short distance apart, holding Lucrecia in his arms, unmoving. Tifa wouldn't have known what to say to him.
"Was Dr. Crescent injured?" asked Reeve.
Tifa shook her head helplessly. "To be honest, we're... not sure."
"Hey, weren't you guys supposed to be getting us a ride?" Yuffie asked suddenly.
Wedge gestured to a delivery truck parked down the street. "Doesn't look like we're in a hurry, though. Even the soldiers seem pretty stunned."
"So much of the city must be in a panic..." said Reeve.
"I'll bet," said Jessie. "With the power out citywide..."
Wedge shook his head. "Maybe not. We only counted four explosions, including the Shinra building. I don't think it hit the reactors on the south side."
Tifa looked to Aeris. "Is Holy... done?"
But she looked uncertain, and ran a hand over her braid as though reaching for the White Materia that was no longer there. "I... I don't know," she said. "I've barely been able to hear the Planet since we've been back. Maybe... at the church..."
"It's as good a place as any to rest and get our bearings," said Jessie. "Nobody's trying to arrest us now, but I don't think we want to stick around."
Tifa met her gaze and nodded. A place for them to get their bearings. For Aeris to get her bearings. "Yeah. That's a good--"
"You!" A shout interrupted her, and Tifa turned her head to see Elena marching across the street towards them. "This is all your fault!"
"Speak of the devil..." Jessie murmured.
"Are those the Turks?" Wedge wondered, shifting uneasily.
Reno and Rude followed behind Elena, looking rather more reluctant than incensed. Tifa shifted her stance, and Nanaki stepped up beside her, but she thought Elena was the only one after a fight.
"Aeris and I tried to warn you," Tifa said to her.
"Well, maybe you should've mentioned you were going to blow up half of Midgar!"
"Calm down, Elena," said Reno.
"Calm down? Tseng was up there!"
"He didn't come out with you?" asked Aeris.
Reno looked to her and shook his head. "Damn fool wanted to get Rufus out. But the cell towers are out. No way to know what happened to them unless we go back inside."
"Bad idea," said Rude.
"Yeah, I wasn't suggesting it!"
"If it weren't for you and your Ancient magic..." said Elena, her fists balled up and trembling.
Tifa had a hard time mustering sympathy for Turks still loyal to the company. "Are we really going to do this now?" she asked.
Reno lifted his hands. "I'm not getting involved."
Elena whirled on him. "What?"
"Look, our last order was to forget these guys. Maybe Tseng and Rufus are fine, maybe they're six feet under--I'm not risking my neck fighting the guys who took out Sephiroth until I know one way or the other."
"Rude, you agree with him?"
Rude said absolutely nothing, and Tifa couldn't even see a change in his expression, but his silence seemed to mean something to Elena. She huffed, folded her arms, and shot a glare at Tifa.
"Well, looks like you're getting off easy this time, but don't count on it next time we run into each other!"
Reeve stepped forward. "...so you have no idea if the President made it out? What about Scarlet and Heidegger?"
"Woah, Reeve," said Reno in surprise. "Didn't see you there."
"Scarlet and Heidegger?" he repeated.
"No idea."
Reeve was quiet for a moment. He glanced at Jessie, and then said, "Then... maybe we do things my way, for a change."
Reno's eyebrows rose. "You want I should take orders from a traitor?"
"The President was ignoring the threat to the city. I did what I had to to warn people." When the Turks only exchanged glances, he went on, "Do you have orders to arrest me? Have I even been fired yet?"
"Well..." Reno scratched his head. "Can't say we've heard anything about that."
"Then I could use your help. The city is in crisis, and I can't coordinate all these people on my own."
"I don't know about this..." said Elena.
"Are you saying you don't think Rufus would use the resources at his disposal to deal with this?" Tifa asked. Though she doubted the average citizen of Midgar would be high on Rufus's list of priorities, he wouldn't be having his people sitting around doing nothing either.
"Well..." Elena glanced uncertainly at her compatriots.
"Kind of feels like going along with a coup," said Reno, "taking orders from Reeve."
"Look," Yuffie broke in, "maybe you all never even saw that broadcast. It was right before things started getting crazy, and who's got time to talk about TV now? If the rest of those guys are gone, then... isn't Reeve next in line anyhow?"
Reno stood thinking, mouth twisted, and then he threw up his hands. "Screw it. I was gonna grab a drink, but it'll be a pain finding a place right now. What do you say, Rude?"
Rude shrugged.
"All right. Let's start by rounding up these slack-jaws and see what we've got to work with."
He nodded to Reeve, and then the three Turks dispersed throughout the crowd, calling to the various employees standing around staring at their headquarters.
Jessie turned to Reeve. "I take it that means you're staying."
He nodded. "I can't abandon the city at a time like this. We have to assess the damage, try to mitigate casualties..."
"And if Rufus shows up?" Tifa wondered.
"Well..." He glanced uneasily after Reno, and adjusted his suit. "I'll take my chances. At least I'll have done something worthwhile before they arrest me."
"Keep in touch," said Jessie. "You're still one of us, in my book. And I meant it, when I said we look after our own."
"I can see that. And... in the unlikely event that I am in charge of Shinra now......" He trailed off and let out a breath of disbelief. "Phew, that's an arrogant thing to say out loud."
"But if you are," Tifa continued, "maybe that means we can work together from now on. Shinra and AVALANCHE." The words sounded strange to her ears, and by the looks Jessie and Wedge threw her, they felt the same. But a different Shinra, under Reeve... didn't quite sound like an enemy.
Reeve smiled wryly. "We'll see," he said. "For now, it probably is best you leave the city. Before someone else shows up to give orders."
"Yeah," Tifa agreed. A part of her wanted to stay and help, too, but the greater part of her was tired. They'd been pushing themselves so hard for so long, they could all use a break. "But, I'm glad to leave someone behind who actually cares," she added.
"I'll... take that as a compliment."
Tifa offered her hand, and Reeve accepted it. "See you around," she said.
"I hope so," he replied.
They got everyone to the truck, most of them piling into the back. Wedge volunteered to drive, and Tifa was grateful she didn't have to. She sat beside Aeris on the floor of the trailer.
"You doing all right?"
Aeris nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said, but her eyes were on Lucrecia, still unconscious in Vincent's arms. Tifa wondered if she was thinking about all the other people in Midgar. Tseng and the others caught in the Shinra building, the reactor personnel... Tifa put an arm around her and drew her close.
"It's all done now," she said. "Time for that vacation."
Sector 5 still had power, but only on the plate. In the slums below, it was darkness, but the church wasn't far from the city limits, and they found their way easily enough, if slowly. Wedge helped Tifa with Barret this time, and Jessie ran ahead to push open the doors to the church.
The interior was lit by the soft glow of candles, most of them concentrated near the altar. In the time since they had left it, the refugees from Sector 7 had made the place their own. Some of the pews had been moved aside to open up floor space for bedrolls, others toppled and pushed together to form makeshift tables, now strewn with cutlery and various personal items, the scraps of lives trying to take shape again.
There were about a half dozen people gathered around a radio at one of the tables. The old neighborhood gossip was trying to tune it, but finding only static.
"Well, this place has changed," Zack remarked.
"Give me a minute," said Aeris, and she started down the aisle towards the altar. Tifa let her go.
The refugees all looked up at the sound of visitors, and they stared for a moment at the party filing in.
"It's you!" exclaimed the gossip. She abandoned the radio and marched down the aisle to meet them, brushing past Aeris on her way. A few of the others switched off the radio and joined her.
"We were hoping we could spend the night here," said Tifa, "if that's all right with everyone."
The gossip looked over their party, scrutinizing each of them with her usual suspicion, before she fixed Tifa with a steady gaze and asked bluntly, "Are you AVALANCHE?"
"Well... Yes," Tifa admitted, watching for her reaction.
"You know, I had my suspicions before. All the odd things you got up to, and then disappearing like that after the plate fell." Tifa opened her mouth, but the gossip went on preemptively, "I know, that was the Shinra. You were the ones who got us out. So you know, I actually believe most of what he says, that Reeve Tuesti. We heard it all on the radio. The Shinra said they caught you--you must have had a time of it, getting out."
"...yeah," said Tifa, at a loss for anything else to say.
"Does that mean we can stay?" asked Jessie.
"Your dog tame?" asked the gossip.
"I am not a dog," stated Nanaki.
The gossip opened her mouth, closed it, and hummed thoughtfully. "Well! I guess that's that then. We don't have much to offer, but you're welcome to it."
Tifa smiled gratefully. "Thanks."
"And I expect to hear more of an explanation for what's happened tonight," she added firmly, "once you've caught your breath."
"Sure," Tifa agreed. It seemed more than fair.
The refugees helped them find spaces to settle down, a few of them even offering up their own bedrolls, though Barret refused. They eased him down onto a pew, and Tifa really wished he hadn't; sweaty from the exertion, he was starting to shiver.
"Let's see if we can find you a shirt," she said, knowing he'd try to shrug it off if she asked, and she looked hopefully to Wedge.
"Look, you're still gonna rip mine in the shoulders," he said, though he started digging through his pack anyway. He paused, and then tugged out part of Vincent's cape. "It's not a shirt, but..."
Barret snorted. "Guess it'll do for now," he said, reaching out his hand for it. He draped it across his shoulders and let it fall closed across his chest. "All I need now's my own claw," he declared, "I'll be all set."
"Only if you get super depressing, too," said Yuffie, though she immediately glanced in Vincent's direction as though worried he might have heard her. It might have been in poor taste, but no one commented.
"Guess we are gonna have to find you a new prosthetic," Jessie said instead. "But... what about a hand this time? We might not be fighting so much, anymore."
Barret's expression sobered. "...maybe," he said. "Be better for Marlene, wouldn't it? Havin' a father who could hug her with two hands..."
"Wonder if we should hit up Reeve for some money," Jessie mused. "Shinra did take most of our stuff, including your arm."
"Now you wanna clean out his bank account," said Yuffie.
"Well, getting everyone out of Headquarters seemed more important..."
Tifa smiled softly, listening to their conversation, but she found herself distracted. Barret was in good hands, so she gave him a pat on the shoulder and stood.
Vincent wasn't quite out of earshot, but she doubted he was paying anyone much attention. He crouched beside the pew where he had laid Lucrecia, his flesh hand resting atop hers. She was still unconscious, her chest rising and falling evenly. Nanaki sat beside Vincent, and Tifa realized they were speaking softly.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said.
"No," said Vincent without looking at her.
Nanaki glanced at him and then said, "I was just suggesting to Vincent that he return with me to Cosmo Canyon. Our doctors have been studying Lucrecia's research to help the 'clones.' Perhaps they can do something for her."
Tifa nodded. It was a good idea. "Has there... been any change?"
Vincent shook his head. "Perhaps her body is resting, healing itself... or perhaps she may never wake."
Tifa was quiet for a moment, watching the sleeping woman. She still looked too much like her son, and maybe she never could make up for what she'd allowed to happen, but she'd been trying, hadn't she? Tifa wasn't sure if she could ever really forgive Lucrecia, but if Holy was the Planet's judgment, then... "Holy spared her, didn't it? So, there's hope, I think."
"Hm," was all Vincent said. Hope or no, he wasn't leaving her side.
"Jessie mentioned that Reeve's speech was your idea," Tifa went on. "I wanted to thank you for that."
"Shinra has... been hiding its more unseemly acts for decades," said Vincent. "I once helped with that. But it didn't seem right, letting you all continue to prop up that illusion."
"You don't think that deserves a thank you?" When he didn't answer, she didn't push for one. "Try not to wear yourself out worrying, okay? You still need your sleep."
Nanaki nodded to her. "I'll try to look after him."
"Thanks."
Tifa let them be and looked ahead down the aisle to where Aeris had gone. Was she speaking to the Planet now? Did she need more time, still?
Zack had accepted the offer of someone's bedroll, and he and Cloud lay sprawled across it together in the space between pews.
"So," she asked them, taking a seat nearby, "is there a verdict?"
They exchanged glances.
"Feels weird," said Zack. "Kinda like... the first day after a bad flu. Pretty sure we're not dying, but man, I feel worn out."
Tifa smiled. "Worn out's fixable."
"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "I bet we'll feel better after some sleep. But I wonder... how everyone is at Cosmo Canyon."
"I don't know. We'll have to check in with Bugenhagen, but... I'd like to think they're okay, too."
Tifa glanced around the church, at the familiar faces from Sector 7. Survivors of that catastrophe, of the second time her world had crumbled around her. It didn't feel like coming home, being back here, but nevertheless she realized she had come back to something more than a void. There were fragments of a community here, one she'd once been a part of, and maybe she could be again.
"You all right, Tifa?" asked Cloud.
She nodded. "It's just... after Sector 7, I told myself, at least this time I'm not alone. All these people made it out with me. But... then we found you, and all the others. It's like after all this time, you're making it out, too." She hesitated. "I never looked up Kyle or any of the others who came to Midgar before... I wonder how they're doing."
"...can't say I really thought about them," Cloud admitted. "But maybe we can track them down. I'm sure they'd be happy to see you."
"Yeah. I think I'm finally ready."
Zack was looking at her seriously. "You've hit the other side?" he asked.
"...yeah."
Cloud looked between them in confusion. "What're you talking about?"
"We had a heart-to-heart back at Icicle Inn," Zack explained. "Had to give her and Aeris my blessing and all."
"That's not what it was about," said Tifa.
Zack grinned and shrugged.
Cloud gave him a wry look, which faded as something came to him. He looked back at Tifa. "Did Aeris tell you about...?"
"You two?" she wondered. "I know what she was up to. Did it work?"
They exchanged looks. Cloud blushed, smiling faintly, and Zack's grin widened. It was answer enough.
"Well, I'm glad," Tifa said, and then she fixed Zack with a teasing look. "And I give you my blessing," she added.
Zack snorted. "You know what, I'll take it."
"We're okay here, Tifa," said Cloud. "You should check on Aeris."
"Yeah," she decided, and pushed herself back to her feet.
Aeris knelt on the floor at the edge of the flowerbed before the altar. The candlelight caught in her hair, and she and the flowers at her fingertips seemed to glow a little in the warm light.
"Boy!" she said as Tifa approached. "It feels like it's been ages."
Tifa squatted down beside her, cautiously looking into her face. Aeris didn't meet her gaze, so she decided it wasn't time yet. "How are the flowers doing?" she asked instead.
"Someone's been over-watering them a bit, but I don't think they've done any real harm. I'll just have a word with them tomorrow." She sat back, brushing dirt off her hands.
"Glad to hear it," said Tifa.
Aeris sat looking at her flowers, and at length she confessed quietly, "I'm a little scared."
"Scared?"
"Even when... all I had was my normal life, looking after these flowers, I knew I had a purpose. Something I felt the Planet needed me to do, even if I didn't know what it was. Now, Holy's done its work. Jenova is gone for good. I don't... know what that means for me now, as a Cetra."
Tifa sat back beside her. "I think it means... you can finally take your time, and figure that out for yourself. I don't think you need to know right away."
"Hmm."
"Maybe you're not used to that," Tifa ventured with a smile. "You always seem so confident, about yourself."
"I usually am," said Aeris. "This has always been a little different."
"Well, that's all right, isn't it?"
"I guess so!" Aeris said, finally turning to her with a smile. "You'll be there to figure it out with me, right?"
"Right. I'm not going anywhere."
"You want to talk about confidence, you should look at yourself these past few days. In the middle of everything... it's been good to see."
"I'm still not sure if it's confidence, or one big delayed reaction about to slam into me now that things are calming down," Tifa admitted.
"Well... I'll be here for whichever one it is," said Aeris.
"I know." And she did, she realized. At least for now, it had turned from a wish into a certainty, and while she had that certainty, she pushed forward, finding the words that doubt had kept from her. "I love you, Aeris."
Aeris smiled, like Tifa had just uncovered a secret she'd already known. "You know, I had a feeling." She leaned in and kissed Tifa on the lips. "I love you, too."
Nothing about anything felt wrong in that moment. The typical Mako hum of the city was silent, and flowers grew around them--flowers in Midgar. Something else had taken root here; in place of anger was a driving sense of hope. Whether Tifa had cut them free for a night, or for a lifetime, her doubts were far behind her. And this moment... She'd always have this moment.