Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Place in Time: Fantasy Befallen ❯ Feelings to Feel ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

She was finally starting to understand how Tidus must have felt when she saved him at Baaj Temple.

The feeling they had shared back then was bizarre, almost funny. It was like they had arrived on a blind date without anything to say. Tidus surely didn't know where he was, and Rikku didn't know how a strange but somewhat handsome man showed up in an abandoned temple. Their words were awkward, and their actions even worse. Though some of the foes they faced were weak, the uncertainty between them made her feel like she was fighting for her life.

Nevertheless she did enjoy the time she had spent with him. He was like a lost puppy not ready to take on the world. Taking care of someone else, especially when she was only fifteen, was an amazing boost of confidence.

Yet it had seemed like he was gone just as soon as he had arrived. Their tiny boat was no match against Sin. She had cried for some strange reason when he floated away, didn't know why. He was just some strange guy that had showed up, without seemingly any understanding of the world around him. He was oblivious, and as his temporary guardian she felt responsible for everything that happened to him.

Now it was her turn for the experiment. She was now the lost one, forcing herself to be led through the streets of Edge by Cid and his kind wife. The dark and guarded man, Vincent, had run ahead upon arrival to “take care of some business.” She didn't have any idea what he meant, but she hoped it would lead to her figuring some things out beyond the terrible shock of being thrust five thousand years into the future.

Entering Edge to Rikku felt like entering a blitzball dome. The gate to enter was made of medal and surrounded by glass. What were they keeping out? In blitz it was the spectators, the noise, the polluted air. Here all of that was on the inside. Cid said the protection was a holdover from the old city, which was called Midgar. He said it was destroyed, but didn't bother to elaborate.

Alongside the dirty streets there were men in tattered clothes selling fake jewelry, and Cid had to shove her in between himself and Shera to make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

“Hey!” she protested while being sandwiched,” “maybe the poor guy just needs some help.”

Cid shook his head. “Girl, you really are stupid, aren't ya?”

“I'll have you know I'm very smart! I was the prodigy of Home when it came to constructing Machina.”

“I guess prodigies weren't required to learn that bums only want two things from girls like yourself: money and sex. Unless you want to give one of those things away, I can't see you having much fun with him.”

Rikku scowled, looking at Shera for condolences but received none. They walked past a few buildings, each one missing one critical part of its architecture. For one it was the roof, next a well, next a door. She thought it looked like a trash pit.

“I thought you guys said Edge was a great city.” Cid laughed.

“It all depends on what you call great. If you like dark and ugly places that smell like shit, then this would be the Promised Land!”

“Cid.” Shera glared at him condescendingly.

“All right, I'm sorry! I guess I've never been too keen on the place. There are some good joints around here, though, they're just hard to find. Kinda like the place we're heading to; if I didn't know Edge I'd never end up there.”

“Is that where we're going?”

Rikku pointed up the dirt road towards a red brick and stone building lying among trace amounts of grass. There was a gigantic hole in roof in between stained glass windows, making it look just about as terrible as ever other building she had laid her eyes upon. However, for some reason she saw the place differently, as a comfort. It looked warm, like it had at least been tried to be loved and cared for. It looked like nobody seemed to give a damn about much else in the city.

After suggesting the building Cid and Shera almost froze in thought. They knew the significance of that building very well, along with the memories of it that lay inside of their dear friends. They said nothing in response, hoping the girl would drop the topic and move on to other buildings or people. Heck she could even rattle on about some more bums if she'd forget what she'd seen. Yet she persisted on the same topic.

“Is that a bell at the top?”

“Yeah,” Cid replied gruffly. “It's a church.”

“A church? That must mean a temple is nearby!”

“I know of one, but it's not really that close…” Shera trailed off her comment, realizing that Cid may not have wanted her saying anything about it.

“That temple was destroyed, anyway,” Cid added harshly.

Rikku shook her head in disbelief, wondering how religion could slip off the tongues of these people so easily. “You don't seem to care much about it. Did Yevon betray you, too?”

“Yevon? What the hell's that? Sounds like some kind of insurance.”

She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.

“Yevon is the being that all of Spira put their faith in to save us from Sin, an evil monster bent on ruining our world. When me and my friends went to defeat Sin, we found out the truth: Yevon was the reason the beast kept coming back! We were kinda scared to tell everyone about it, though. Yevon was what all the folks in Spira looked to for strength. If you don't have Yevon, then what do you look for here?”

Cid shrugged his shoulders.

“Not dying. As long as I don't do that I know I'm figuring to be pretty damn good.”

“Why don't we change the subject?” Shera interrupted, her voice trailer to a whisper as she neared Rikku's ear. “A lot of people here don't like talking about the church. It's a holdover from Midgar.” The focus of the conversation quickly went to happier things. Things like friends.

“I suppose we haven't told you who we're going to see.”

“No,” Rikku replied with a sudden laugh. “But it'd be great to know. Don't want to look loony in front of guests.”

They passed a shack on their left, decorated with a large wooden sign reading “Streetside Supermarket.” A man in dirty brown pants was entering.

“We're going to see Tifa. She's a friend of Cid's from a few years ago. They did a lot of traveling together.” Shera's words zapped Rikku back into the world around them and away from the rather ugly surroundings. The man in the grocery had already disappeared.

“What does the Tifa girl do now? Was she one of the ones that saved the world?”

“Sure is!” Cid interjected. “Actually, I'm still pretty sure Tifa could kick my ass if I stood still long enough. She's a tough girl. Nice, but tough as hell if you cross her.”

“And we are going to see her why?” Rikku was starting to get turned off slightly by the idea of sitting around with a group of old friends. They'd all know the stories and she'd be left out; she hated doing that with Buddy and Brother at Home. Her mind told her it would be far more irritating here.

“Not like we got much else to do right now. Vince wanted to go do his thing alone, and Tifa's place is as good as any to relax.” There was a large fence to Rikku's right, the other side littered with black and grey ruins of something enormous. She made a note to ask about it later and kept walking as they entered another residential neighborhood, if you could call it that in between the rusted siding and dirty streets. Rikku stepped carefully and spoke a bit softer.

“I don't wanna seem like I'm prying into your life, but…”

“Don't worry about it!” Cid interrupted. “You're ignorant and stuck with us, so I figure you're gonna want to know some stuff.”

“Okay…why are you guys flying Vincent around like this? Did your “saving the world” quest bring you that close?”

“Kinda,” Cid answered, his face almost even blushing at the mention of friendship. “It has more to do with me owing Vince a couple of favors for some trouble I've been in.”

“And what about your quest? What did you do?”

“We'll talk about it in there. I ain't much for telling stories without a beer in my hand.” Cid pointed up to a building situated in the northwest corner of town, one that appeared a bit more stable than the others. The wood and medal along the sides was clean, and a small sign on the side post read “Tifa's Seventh Heaven/Strife Delivery Service.”

“Looks nice,” Rikku whispered. The thoughts inside her mind were much more doubtful, including those that suggested she had lead herself into a group of criminals. These people did something magnificent (or so they claim); wouldn't they live in someplace nicer than the prettiest building in the slums?

Cid opened the door into the building, and she stupidly expected him to hold it open for her. The door struck her clear across the forehead. She screamed.

“You…jackass!” Cid ran back out of the building in a flash.

“Hey! Why aren't you watching what's in front of you. I'm not a slave, open the door yourself next time!”

“She doesn't know you yet, Cid,” Shera argued, but in an unconvincingly soft tone. “You have to at least be nice to people that expect you to be nice.”

Cid walked back inside, mumbling curses and scratching his forehead. In some corner of his mind he was probably thinking he wasn't getting any sex from Shera later. Rikku was too busy clinging at her forehead to think about anything.

Once she made it inside a woman in a long black skirt and top greeted her. There was TV flashing lights in the right corner, meaning the woman was likely bored before their arrival.

“So how's it going, Cid? Seems like it's been forever since you came by” The woman sat behind the bar and grinned, pulling her arms up over her head and stretching.

Cid patted his hand along the wooden bar.

“I was here last month, girl. You forgotten already?”

“No, it just seems like it's been longer. Business has been shoddy lately. I mean, look around you!” The bar was empty, with the exception of a heavyset man who appeared to be passed out at a corner table.

“Drunk people aren't much company.” She now noticed that her visiting party was one person larger than expected.

“Oh, did you two make a new friend?”

“Her? Nah, she's more of a stowaway. Doesn't know what the hell anything is.”

“Shut up!” Rikku pointed. “I know lots more than you think I do!” She calmed down with a few breaths, and sat down at the front of the bar.

“Hi, I'm Rikku. Happy to meet ya!”

“Tifa Lockheart.” The two shook hands. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Rikku smiled. “I'll just have some water, thanks.”

“No problem.” She handed her a plastic bottle, before opening up a can of beer for Cid.

“The usual, right?”

“Hell yeah!” Cid took the can from Tifa and drank it like it was sacred. Tifa ignored him and decided to spark up some sort of conversation, though she knew it would be awkward with a new member.

“What brings you to Edge, Rikku?”

“I'm not too sure…people, I guess.” She wasn't sure whether to tell the truth or spit out casual lies. Cid took care of the indecision.

“Tifa, the girl thinks she's from Spira. Says a woman's voice told her she was meant to come here.”

“Really? How bizarre.” She could tell that Tifa didn't believe a word of it. “So I take it you're just keeping her around until she is reacquainted with the world.”

“Kinda. Vince is checking up on it. He thinks Cloud might be able to help, since he's the only one of us that's used to hearing voices.” Cid cackled a bit at the last remark, making it almost impossible to discern whether or not it was a joke or pure fact.

“Wait.” Tifa now sounded completely serious. “You don't think it could be…”

“I dunno,” he shrugged. “Doesn't seem possible, I admit. No way can she communicate with people five thousand years before birth.”

“Who?” Rikku questioned. “Who couldn't communicate with me?”

Tifa pulled Cid over to have some sort of secret meeting. Unfortunately neither one of them was particularly good at whispering. Shera, who stood a few feet over, looked insulted not to be included but understanding at the same time she would have offered very little in terms of input.

“So you think we should let her know about everything?”

“I don't see why not. She don't look like the type to bite us in the ass.”

“I know, but we of all people know not to judge appearances. We all thought we could trust Cait Sith, too. Then he went and gave up the Keystone!”

“We ain't got anything to hide this time. Just go with me; I'll take the blame if she screws up.”

The members of this “secret meeting” spun around simultaneously. Tifa took the reigns of the conversation, which was good considering she was the better speaker.

“The girl we've been talking about is Aeris, the last member of the Ancients. Vincent apparently thinks she's connected to you somehow.”

“Why don't we just find out?” Rikku asked, still pretty much oblivious to everything.

“Mainly `cause Aeris is dead,” Cid answered coldly. “She was stabbed through the heart by Sephiroth.”

“Who?”

“Sephiroth. The most crazy-ass bad guy we ever had to fight. He was basically trying to absorb the planet's energy so he could be some kind of god.”

“And you guys stopped him?”

“I suppose so. Aeris helped out, too, in some weird dead-girl sort of way.”

“She used the power of the Lifestream to summon Holy,” Tifa clarified, recognizing that very few people could actually understand Cid's babble.

“After she died Aeris spoke through Cloud's subconscious, telling us what to do to save the planet. Up until now we hadn't heard of her speaking through time…it's not possible by human standards.”

Eventually Cid and Shera gravitated to a nearby table, and Rikku and Tifa quickly followed. It wasn't like there were many customers to take care of, so standing in front of the bar seemed pretty useless.

Early on, Rikku seemed to be the most enthusiastic of the four. She was becoming more and more excited by the second, as the information began to pour out of her hosts' minds. She had more questions, more desire to piece things out! The others probably felt like they were being interrogated.

“How long ago was all of this?”

“I guess about four years, the first time.” Tifa grinned. “Then we had to do again two years later to stop three men bent on fulfilling Sephiroth's prophecy.” Rikku felt a strange nagging inside her, realizing the coincidences between the two worlds were starting to add up.

“You know, I think I got more in common with you guys than I thought. You three have done your part to save the world, and so did I. We took care of our threats, and all of us are now struggling to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives. It's crazy, but you want to keep doing things to feel important.”

“Actually,” Cid shrugged, “I haven't been depressed about not fighting at all. The less I have to hang my ass on the line the better.”

“Same here,” Shera added.

“But don't you ever feel like we don't really do anything anymore?” The protest came not from Rikku, but from Tifa. “We had our few months of fame, and then everyone, the ones we saved and even the ones we loved, slowly forgot about us.” Tifa leaned forward, her fists clenched up.

“Sometimes don't you wish we had one more chance to do something together? I think Cloud needs it. His mind has been…everywhere lately. He's rarely even here.”

“Where does he go?” Rikku asked out of curiosity.

“Who knows? I hear he's been all over the world, searching for something. It's just that nobody can ever figure out what he's looking for. Fighting is an endless cycle, but I think it's that cycle Cloud needs to survive.”

Cid and Shera were becoming bored quickly with this new conversation, so they decided to shift it quickly in a new direction.

“So Tifa, what've you been watching on TV?”

“Oh, just a headline on the news. Apparently a big meteorite crashed up near Knights Island. They're saying it's the biggest one to strike the planet in a century.”

“Great,” Cid replied sarcastically. “Some fish died, but why the hell should I care?”

“You don't have to; I just think it's kind of interesting. We're really lucky that it didn't crash on land. Anyway, Shinra's sending some scientists out to—“

“Wait,” Rikku interrupted, her voice more intense than it had been during the entire conversation.

“Who's sending scientists out there?”

“Shinra,” Tifa repeated casually. “Why so tense? Back in Spira is that a bad word or something?”

“No. I just used to know a kid named Shinra! He was a little genius that toyed around with equipment all day!” She stood up (nearly kicking her chair over) and began pacing back and forth along the floor.

“It must be the link! I knew there had to be a link in there somewhere.” She sounded like a maniac to her three hosts, and the passed-out man in the corner would likely think the same were he awake.

“This Shinra guy…where does he live? Maybe he can tell me something.”

“It's not really a guy so much, though there is a man named Shinra.” Tifa stared down as she spoke to shield her face from any possible reaction. “Shinra was the most powerful corporation in the world. They're still around, but their foundation was rocked pretty hard four years ago by us. See, getting rid of Shinra was actually the reason many of us banded together in the first place. They were sucking the energy right out of the planet and turning it into a resource.”

“I used to be in connection with those Shinra Bastards,” Cid muttered in contempt. “They betrayed me.”

“Shinra destroyed Cloud's life,” Tifa added. “That's why I fought them.” Even with her looking down, Rikku noticed a certain light in her eyes. She was smiling so slightly, and trying to hide it from everyone else. Tifa had a crush on this Cloud guy…it was terribly obvious but kind of cute. She wouldn't let the secret loose in front of everybody; she chose instead to go on with the topic at hand, which included standing up for her old friend.

“I guess Shinra must seem like crooks to you guys, but the Shinra I knew was kind and caring. It has to be the same guy…I remember him talking about the idea of using the planet as energy. Somebody must have done something to him! He was ambitious, but he wouldn't try to hurt anybody.”

“Good ideas fall into bad hands, Rikku,” Shera said softly. “It's a saying we all know very well here.”

“Probably. But I still won't let those crooks make my friend look bad! Somebody take me to Shinra so I can give `em a piece of my mind!”

“Don't get your panties in a bunch, girl.” Cid's comment quickly received a punch from Tifa in return, followed shortly by one from Shera.

“To put it a bit more lightly,” Tifa stated with a continued glare at Cid, “There's no way you could get into Shinra if you tried. The place is guarded so heavily that you wouldn't be able to get past the front door.”

Rikku's eyes were sad, and she was looking up at her friends like she was begging for candy.

“Even if I told them my story?”

“Even if you did. Actually, they would probably think you were insane. If you want to get access to Shinra, you'll have to get it through Vincent. He has a couple of old friends on the inside there.”

“And he's gone right now.”

“Yeah, but he'll be back soon.”

Rikku puffed out her lips, suddenly not feeling like talking to any of these people. Certainly they all seemed nice enough (even Cid the Chauvinist to an extent), but she didn't know what in the world they had to offer her in terms of service. The bar owner, Tifa, seemed like nothing more than a carbon copy of herself in Spira, lost and without purpose. The two people that it seemed could truly help her figure things out, Vincent and this Cloud character, were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly she felt frustrated being in the presence of them.

“I'm gonna go take a look outside,” she said to the group, rising to her feet and dusting off her khakis. As she walked out of the bar she could hear them debating whether or not it was safe to her to wander about alone. Cid said something along the lines of “she's old enough to make her own decisions,” and she was honestly glad to hear it after being treated like a baby for most of the past day.

Outside the Sun was starting to disappear back into the horizon, leaving Edge under the fog of lamps and pollution. She sat down in front of the Seventh Heaven bar and unleashed a long sigh.

“Whoever that lady was that sent me here,” Rikku groaned, “I wanna smack her on the head for not sending me after all the good stuff happened.”

“And why is that?”

The voice made her jump a foot in the air, and a dark hand covered her mouth. Vincent climbed into the light from whatever darkness he was hiding in, and she breathed a sigh of relief it wasn't somebody else.

“I'm gonna get you for that!” Vincent laughed under his breath for a moment before standing next to Rikku at the bar's steps.

“Are you going to answer my question?”

“I guess, but I wasn't really talking to you. You guys have been through a lot, right? Killed a bunch of bad guys?”

“You could say that.”

“Those three in there don't look like they're about to go punch something out. Cid's chugging beers and Tifa is feeling sorry for herself. They were talking about what was on TV! Everything seems so over now.”

“Nothing is over.” Vincent paced back and forth, his cape fluttering and keeping his face from much of the light. “If you think there will be no more fighting you are most certainly a fool.”

“If they fighting ain't over then why aren't we sitting around? I'm starting to think this Cloud guy has the right idea.”

Vincent shook his head in disdain.

“You obsess too much about the now. We cannot run blindly into battle, and Cloud will need to learn that also. Our next mission will come with patience, and it may come from the most unlikely of places.”

Rikku was ignoring most of his words. She didn't want to be given constant advice. She wasn't used to it! The whole idea of it was irritating as hell. She thought about just running away right there to find a mission. She'd clobber any enemy in her way and show these lazy bums what was up!

Then again, she didn't know the enemy even was. Vincent could see the animosity through the impatient tapping of her right foot.

“Rikku, I am not forcing you to stay here. If you think you are better elsewhere, go. I am walking inside; it is your choice whether or not to follow.”

“Wait!” Rikku shouted out only to see the door slamming. Thankfully this time she avoided hitting it head-on. Everyone inside (including the passed-out drunkard) had remained in their previous position, with Vincent sitting where she previously was.

“Hey! That's my seat!”

“Didn't know you were coming back.” Vincent stood up and found another chair for her. At least he was somewhat a gentleman unlike other people in the room. After placing it in front of her, though, he waited along with everyone else for an explanation for her actions. Rikku backed up for a moment in defense.

“Sorry, I was just having some crazy thoughts. I'm used to flying around like a bullet…slowing down to talk is hard.” She scratched her arm and threw down her hands. She turned her eyes towards Vincent.

“They told me about the Shinra place. I want to go there.”

“I figured you might.”

“Why? Did you know about this all along?”

“About a connection between them and Spira? Not entirely. I thought I remembered Shinra originating during your time, but I wanted to do some research first to be certain.”

“Well then, are you certain?” said Cid, who apparently was growing more anxious to get to the point. For the first time all night it seemed him and Rikku had something in common.

“I apologize for the anticipation; you see, what I was able to discern about Shinra is based upon a book that I found. However, it is a book that is likely not an honest account of how the company was started. It said the business was founded by a young man during the age of Spira, and that much I am inclined to believe.”

“That must be true then! Shinra was a little creepy, but he helped me out hundreds of times! I just don't see how something he created could have turned as evil as you say it has.”

“Judging from what I read I can understand your stance perfectly. Shinra probably had nothing to do with the direction of the company. He needed money to get it going, didn't he?”

“I guess,” Rikku said, scratching her head in thought.

“He borrowed from investors. Investors that eventually became greedy. Problem was according to this book that developing energy from the Lifestream was expensive. When the investors wanted better production, they took desperate measures. Your friend Shinra had his company “bought out” a few years before his death. My guess is he was forced out to save money. Then…”

“Vince! I got a question.”

“What?” He glared at Cid for interrupting.

“If this Shinra kid was kicked outa the company then why the hell does Rufus have the last name Shinra?”

“They probably just told whoever was leading the company to change his last name to Shinra. It's a rather stupid answer I know, but appears to be closest to the truth. It's a clever marketing practice.”

Rikku puffed out her lips at the mention of Shinra's demise. Yet as she thought about it more and more, it became more logical how it happened. Though the kid was an unparalleled genius, he was naïve and easy to trick. She wanted to choke the people responsible, but she knew that it would not due any good. The people that did this to Shinra, they were likely fossils at this point along with everyone else she knew.

Vincent had yet to start his story back up, so she took the liberty of holding him off.

“I don't really care so much about the company history. They just sound like a bunch of crooks. Get to the good stuff!”

Vincent grinned, or at least made the best attempt at one he could manage.

“I see you are getting smarter. Actually most of the book was a detail of the various “charitable operations” the company has performed over its long lifespan. The real story wasn't there. It is probably buried so deep that even employees aren't allowed a look.”

Vincent stopped, his mouth acting limp as if talking so much was a chore. Rikku couldn't let him catch a breather yet, though. Curiosity of knowing everything was driving her insane.

“What about Spira? What happened to it? What happened to the Al Bhed?” Shera and Cid had lost interest with the speed of the questions and now took a moment to mumble quietly. Tifa appeared remotely interested but mildly lost.

Vincent shook his head in despondence.

“Of most of that I cannot say. The book referenced a “very dark age” in the surrounding world but failed to make note of precisely what happened. My guess is the destruction of Spira and the Al Bhed were likely hand in hand.”

Rikku moaned in frustration.

“That doesn't help at all! My people are extinct, I'm stuck here, and I still don't have any reason as to why!”

“Calm down,” Tifa instructed, excited to be useful for the first time in a while. “Life will get better in a bit. It's been a long day.” Rikku wanted to give her a mean glare but it was Vincent's turn to cut her off.

“Hopefully you will get more answers tomorrow, for I hope to make another visit to Headquarters.”

“You better take me this time!”

“I suppose I have no way around it. I couldn't spend too much time today focusing on your troubles. I had other business there.”

“Doing what?”

“A number of things. There were some markings I found at the Ancient City that I needed to investigate. Turns out they are more or less graffiti from a thousand years ago. They mean nothing.” He turned his head to Tifa.

“Have you spoken with Cloud?”

“No, and I've tried at least ten times.” She frowned, but did not seem to be as upset as she expected out of a lovesick woman. Rikku thought Cloud to be quite a jerk to leave her like this. Apparently he did it often, too.

Matters did not get better upon Vincent's response.

“Really? He answered immediately to me. Said he would be back in town in the morning. Unfortunately he did not tell me a meeting place…I hoped he would contact you.”

“No,” Tifa let loose a long sigh before letting her pale arms swing to her sides.

“We will let Rikku speak with Cloud about this girl…”

“…they think it might be Aeris,” Rikku interrupted, only to have Vincent respond just as quickly.

“I doubt it. Even an Ancient as powerful as Aeris cannot travel through time. Yet if there is any truth behind this theory, Cloud should be able to help.” His voice cut off quickly, giving Rikku the weird impression that Aeris was a sensitive subject.

The four of them sat in silence for another five minutes or so. What else was there to talk about? Rikku wanted to ask more questions, but she honestly didn't think her brain could handle it at this point. Was all of this even real? Everything happened so quickly she couldn't be sure. Cid and Shera looked worn out, almost to the point where they could join the bum in the corner.

Then, suddenly, the drunk stood up, wiped the crumbs of the front of his dirty t-shirt, and grumbled to himself.

“Guess I better be getting home now…” he slammed the door behind him.

“I thought that guy was dead when I first got in here.” The party shared a laugh at Rikku's comment, though it was an uncomfortable laugh which Tifa ended.

“That guy's name is Heidegger. He used to be a big shot at Shinra before losing his job a few years ago. Since then he's drank himself out of sanity.”

“Basically to where if you had asked him a question about Shinra, he probably woulda punched you.” Cid cackled at his own joke (though no one else did) before slowly rising to his feet.

“Okay gents, it looks like the lady and I better be heading out to bed. Got a room at a hotel down the road.”

“Good,” Tifa replied sarcastically. “I know how wild Shera can get.”

Vincent used Cid's departure to create his own excuse.

“I suppose I should follow suit. Hopefully when Cloud arrives we can pay Shinra another visit.”

“Sounds good,” Rikku said back with a smile, one brighter than she had used the rest of the day.

“By the way, I haven't really thanked you at all for helping me out…I'm not good at this, either, so I'll be quick.” Her mind blanked for a moment before she realized she forgot to even say what she meant to.

“Oh…thanks!”

Vincent laughed briefly, stretching his legs before following his companions out into the dark.

“My pleasure.” The door slammed shut.

“Hold up! Where am I supposed to sleep?”

“I got a place for you,” Tifa said from behind her. “While you were outside we decided you could stay downstairs. It's pretty comfy and away from all those boys.”

“Good,” Rikku said, sharing a laugh like she used to have with Yuna at times before her celebrity destroyed her.

The next question slipped out before she could stop herself. She knew she wasn't supposed to meddle, especially in the life of a relative stranger.

“So how long have you been crushing on Cloud?”

Tifa's white face turned a pale red in a split-second, which she attempted to cover up at first. Once she realized it was utterly useless to hold back, she just decided to deal with another person knowing her supposed “secret.”

“So how obvious is it?”

“Pretty obvious. Cloud would have to be pretty dense not to catch on.”

“Oh, but you don't know Cloud like I do. I could call him pet names and he'd never know what was going on.”

Tifa started to wipe down the front counter, eliminating what little stains of alcohol there were from the rather uneventful night of business.

“I suppose you're going to want some sleep pretty soon, huh?”

“Yea. I feel like I'm about to fall over on the floor!”

“Funny.” Tifa threw the rag down on the bar. “Sorry if I don't seem too friendly tonight, it's been a pretty crazy day for me, too. Tomorrow will be better; I'll even take you dress shopping before you head to Shinra. That is if you want to.”

“Sure! At this point I don't care what I wear…these probably smell so gross right now.”

“I'll take you, it's not a problem. Hey, you gotta look good to meet the most corrupt company on the planet!” She meant it as a joke, but wasn't sure if Rikku got it or not. Thankfully she shifted conversation quickly.

“Anyway, there should be a bed made up downstairs. Feel free to move some stuff if you need to. It's honestly a mess.”

“So Miss Tifa's a slob, eh?”

“Kind of…only sometimes…okay, I am a slob.” The two shared a quick laugh.

“See you tomorrow.”

“You, too. Thanks for the room!” Tifa instructed her to stand next to an arcade machine in the corner, and strangely she felt herself being lowered down. It was a silly trap door to have, or so she thought. Why in the world did they need this?

The basement looked like it had been recently renovated. The walls were painted a dark green to compliment wood flooring. Yet there were extension cords and circuits everywhere (most of them put up to keep from being a fire hazard). It looked like the place doubled as some sort of electric hub.

She found her bed in the corner, and as she walked over to it she could not keep the strange thoughts from entering her mind. What was special about that church they had passed earlier? Who really was this Aeris person? Was Cloud cute enough to warrant Tifa liking him? Of course she couldn't answer any of them until morning.

As she slipped off her sandals and prepared to have a much-needed sleep, she noticed a pair of bright green orbs down by her feet. Were they some kind of ornaments? They looked pretty.

Rikku picked the orbs up, curious really as to their strange glow. They had almost a plasma-like feel to them, but at the same time the outside shell felt hard like glass.

“Tifa's got some weird stuff down here,” she mumbled to herself. “I wonder if they're some sort of new-age item.”

Out of curiosity, she started rolling them around in her hands, tossing them up lightly. Then she tried pressing them into one another. Didn't seem like it would work; they felt more like solid objects than something that could be molded. She took them side by side in her hands, sliding one across the other. It didn't appear successful at first, but the two orbs slowly clung together and swirled about.

“What in all of Spira is going on?” she whispered. It was like the forces within each orb battled for a second, but a single one was eventually produced by the fusion. It was a slightly darker green, but not any larger than the previous two were.

Rikku was shocked. She stared down at her hands, wondering what she had just done.

“I don't think that was supposed to happen…” The newly-formed orb lay before her. It held a secret, disguised it, and taunted her with it in the darkest of dreams.

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A/N: I know it's a bit of a cliff-hanger, but the next chapter will be worth it trust me. The story is about to take off, so let me know what you think!