Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Search is Over ❯ Catch Me When I Fall ( Chapter 8 )

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Chapter 8: Catch Me When I Fall

 

Tifa felt herself floating as she patiently waited for her body to fall down into the deep mako lake. She couldn't feel the weight of gravity on her body and braved to open one of her eyes. All she saw was green. She opened the other eye and found herself surrounded by a green light as she floated around as if trapped in a bottle of Midori liquor. The only thing the green substance reminded her of was mako. Confirming her suspicions, she knew that she had fallen.

 

“So I finally did it. I hope that Cloud can finally be happy now,” Tifa said sadly as she hugged her arms around her body for comfort.

 

The fighter wasn't sure what would happen to her now that she had fallen into the lifestream, but she hoped that her end would be painless. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the figure of Aeris slowly moving towards her. Tifa watched as the girl smiled almost wickedly and glared at her with slanted cat-like eyes.

 

“I'm glad you finally came Tifa. And not a minute sooner I should say,” the girl said with no emotion.

 

“Cloud, he came for me. He tried to stop me. I don't understand how he could still want to save me despite everything I did to him,” Tifa sighed.

 

“I really don't know why either. You don't deserve that sort of attention,” the girl laughed cruelly.

 

Tifa's head shot up from the girl's sudden spiteful comment. She cautiously took a step back trying to hide the pain in her heart. Does anyone love me? All of her twisted memories told her that they didn't and Aeris's figure only reiterated that fact. She hated this feeling of loneliness: it left an empty void in her heart that only love could fill, but there was none for her. Tifa closed her eyes and let her body give into the force that would take her life, allowing her to leave the world that didn't give a damn about her.

 

A sudden bang and clang of metal against metal resonated through Tifa's ears and she quickly opened her eyes to see what caused the commotion. To her surprise, she saw another figure who looked exactly like Aeris fighting with her mirror image. The two Aeris' had their Princess Guards armed as they glared at each other in a heated showdown.

 

“I will not let you get to Tifa,” the Aeris closest to Tifa said.

 

“So you finally broke through my barrier. How foolish,” the other Aeris said.

 

Tifa watched bewildered as the two girls squared off. The one closest to her seemed to be protecting her while the other Aeris suddenly raised her Princess Guard and black smoke enveloped the petite girl. Tifa's eyes widened in shock as she saw the black smoke dissipate leaving the towering figure of Sephiroth.

 

“Those who get in between me and my prey will die,” Sephiroth shouted before unsheathing his sword.

 

Aeris stepped back to protect Tifa while another flash of light appeared in front of them as suddenly Sephiroth was surrounded by two people. One was a beautiful brown-haired woman who looked like Aeris, but older. The other was a man Tifa had seen before a long time ago when she was merely a teenager in Nibelheim. She watched as the man turned his head of long black spikes towards her and winked.

 

“Long time no see hot-stuff,” the man said with a smile before refocusing his attention on Sephiroth.

 

“Zack?” Tifa said in shock.

 

The fighter watched as the beautiful woman cast protect spells on both herself and Zack. She then started her onslaught of magic against Sephiroth while Zack began fighting him with his Buster Sword.

 

“I'm glad you're safe,” Aeris said while smiling radiantly.

 

“Aeris? What's going on? Why is Sephiroth here?” Tifa begged for answers.

 

“He was trying to use you Tifa. I don't know what he said, but it looks like he tried to use my image to lure you over here,” Aeris answered.

 

“But, I don't understand. What would he want with me?”

 

“He wanted to use you to give Jenova a new body.”

 

Tifa's eyes shot wide at the realization of what she almost did. “And he almost succeeded, didn't he?”

 

“Almost, but I'm here now. My mother and Zack will hold him off until I can get your mind out of this trap,” Aeris said with assurance.

 

Tifa looked over at the woman Aeris had called her mother and realized that the beautiful woman fighting with Zack was Ilfana. Suddenly, she realized that everyone who was fighting Sephiroth were all dead. She wasn't sure why she was able to see them all in full view and even feel Aeris's comforting hand on her shoulder.

 

“Am I dead?” Tifa asked hesitantly.

 

“No, you're far from dead Tifa. We're only here temporarily. But I need you to wake-up. Fight Sephiroth's enchantment and wake-up,” Aeris pleaded.

 

“But, if I wake-up . . . Cloud will be there,” Tifa said sadly.

 

Aeris looked at the girl curiously and softly asked, “What did Sephiroth tell you to lure you here?”

 

“He told me that if I fell into the lifestream, you would be revived and everyone would be happy.”

 

“Do you really think Cloud would be happy to see you replace me?”

 

“Yes, he would. He hates me right now, everyone hates me,” Tifa sobbed.

 

“Tifa, that's not true, everyone loves you. I think I know what Sephiroth may have done to you, but I can't do anything to reverse it. You have to fight it Tifa. You have to overcome this doubt and search deep in your heart for the truth,” Aeris said gently hugging her dear friend.

 

“But, how will I know what's truth and what's fiction. I'm so confused that I don't know what to think,” Tifa said helplessly.

 

“Just believe in your true feelings and believe in your friends. Cloud doesn't hate you. In fact, it's far from that, but I'll let him be the one to tell you. Let Cloud guide you to the truth, trust me,” Aeris said with a smile.

 

Tifa wiped away her tears and nodded her head. She recognized that smile. It was genuine and honest: Aeris's true smile. It was also one that she hadn't seen from the Aeris Sephiroth impersonated. Tifa knew that she was talking to her best friend and believed.

 

“Ok, I'll wake-up,” Tifa said before a flash of light engulfed her.

 

* * *

 

When Tifa woke-up, she felt her legs dangling as someone was grabbing onto her right hand. She could hear someone shouting her name in desperation while the loud bang of gunshots could be heard nearby. The gunshots sounded like Vincent's weapon, the Death Penalty while Tifa immediately recognized the voice as Cloud's. Looking up she saw Cloud grabbing Tifa's hand while his torso hung off the rocky cliffs.

 

“Tifa! Give me your other hand!” Cloud shouted franticly.

 

Tifa quickly complied and felt her body be pulled up while Cloud carried her off away from the cliff.

 

“Oh god Tifa! I thought I lost you! Don't ever do that to me again,” Cloud said in a panic.

 

“Cloud? You caught me?” Tifa said trying to hold back her joy.

 

“I wasn't going to let you fall. God Tifa, you have no idea how scared I was just now. You have no idea,” Cloud said as he wrapped his arms around her in a protective hug.

 

Tifa let Cloud warm her in his strong embrace as she set aside her fear of being hated and her confusion of what was the truth. She didn't care at that point, all she wanted was this feeling and she knew that it felt right to be in Cloud's arms while he gently stroked her hair. No spells or brainwashing could hide the fact that Cloud was genuinely concerned for Tifa and that was the first truth her heart accepted.

 

Their precious moment was interrupted as Vincent slowly started stepping back to where the pair stood and called for help.

 

“I'd hate to interrupt, but I could use a little assistance,” the man replied with urgency.

 

Tifa and Cloud both stared up to see Sephiroth rise out of the mako lake as the one-winged angel followed closely by his mother, Jenova. The fighters scrambled to their feet to prepare for the ensuing battle.

 

“My, my, my . . . look what we have here. Three people ready to die,” Sephiroth laughed maniacally.

 

“We aren't the ones who are going to die today, Sephiroth,” Cloud shouted while tightly clenching his Ultima Weapon.

 

Cloud quickly nodded to Vincent before charging Sephiroth. Tifa followed closely behind, readying her fists. Before the pair could reach the one-winged angel, Jenova darted in front of her son and unleashed a deadly assault of magic. Cloud and Tifa were stunned for a brief moment while they watched Jenova concentrate on casting her spells. However, her concentration was broken as a strong fire spell engulfed her in a firewall of flames.

 

Cloud and Tifa shook off the powerful spell and briefly stole a glance at Vincent who was now casting numerous fire spells at Jenova. The calamity from the skies was screaming in pain as her flesh was slowly starting to melt away and her cells were exploding from the intense heat.

 

“Help me my son! Help me!” Jenova screeched.

 

“Tifa, we have to prevent Sephiroth from getting to Jenova or Vincent,” Cloud quickly ordered.

 

Tifa nodded her head in acknowledgement and the pair rushed to intercept Sephiroth from helping his mother, or even worse, killing Vincent. They could hear the tormented screams of Jenova in the background as Sephiroth lunged towards his mother in a desperate attempt to save her.

 

The fighters were able to intercept him successfully as Cloud cut a deep gash in his arm while Tifa threw punch after punch at Sephiroth's face. The fighters took a breath while Sephiroth diverted his attention from his mother to Cloud and Tifa. Sephiroth shrugged off the blows to his face while using his good arm to wipe some of the blood from the wound Cloud inflicted and hungrily licked the sticky-substance off his hands.

 

“You fools are only delaying the inevitable,” Sephiroth laughed as the wounds on his arm and face miraculously healed.

 

Tifa looked at the scene in horror as she realized that they would never be able to defeat him if he could heal himself so quickly. Cloud on the other hand was not as worried as he hoped they could distract the one-winged angel a little longer until Vincent could finish off Jenova.

 

“Cloud, how can we kill him?” Tifa asked franticly.

 

“Don't worry Tifa, we will kill him. Just keep on fighting,” Cloud said assuredly.

 

“Don't be so certain, Puppet. I haven't forgotten about our lovely Miss Lockheart here,” Sephiroth said with a wicked grin as he stared at Tifa. “There's still time for you to becoming my mother's host my dear Tifa.”

 

“I'll never help you! You're going to pay for what you did to me!” Tifa screamed in anger.

“Too bad. You're going to submit to me whether willingly or by force,” Sephiroth said in a calm manner while waving his hands.

 

A sudden sting rushed through Tifa's body as she clutched her head. She tried to block the pain, but her ears were ringing with a high-pitched noise that almost burst her eardrums. She fell to her legs as she screamed out in anguish.

 

“Tifa!” Cloud cried out in concern.

 

“Just admit defeat, Puppet. You'll never win. I've killed your precious Aeris, I've claimed your dear friend and now I'm going to kill you,” Sephiroth said as he readied his sword in a fighting position. “Fight me . . . unless you're too scared to be a man.”

 

Cloud, fueled by anger, charged Sephiroth and the two dueled intensely. Sparks flew from their swords like fireflies in the night sky. Their heated battle drowned out the sounds of Jenova's cries for help and Tifa's cries of pain. The two swordsmen kept their eyes on each other, watching for any openings. However, there was one disadvantage Cloud had. He was still concerned for Tifa and a part of his mind wasn't focused on the battle. There was a possibility that Cloud was going to lose.

 

Vincent wanted to watch the gripping duel, but knew that if he relented his magic once, then Jenova would lash out at him. Another thought occurred to Vincent as he realized that his magic was slowly draining and he took a deep breath and prayed as he stopped casting fire spells while running straight for Jenova.

 

Jenova turned sharply and knocked Vincent down with her long tentacles, injuring the gunman. Vincent smirked as he felt his body start to change. Everything turned out exactly as he planned as he felt his magic increase and his skin turn purple. He roared fiercely as his body had completed its transformation into the Gallion Beast.

 

Vincent had little control over what his inner beasts would do, but the Gallion Beast was wise enough to learn of Jenova's weakness before taking over his master's body. The Beast breathed bouts of fireballs at Jenova and attacked it with such fierceness, the calamity from the skies found herself slowly being defeated by the menacing creature.

 

While Vincent was destroying Jenova bit by bit, Cloud and Sephiroth concentrated on their own battle. Occasionally Cloud would successfully injure Sephiroth; however, Sephiroth's link to Jenova was still too strong, as each cut Cloud inflicted would instantly heal. The hero of the planet was draining too much energy and Sephiroth could sense it.

 

“Getting tired already, Puppet! I've barely broken a sweat,” Sephiroth laughed as he gracefully attacked Cloud with large sweeping motions.

 

Cloud tried blocking, but suffered a few cuts on his arms as the wear of battle was slowly fatiguing his body. Vincent, please hurry and kill Jenova. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.

 

Tifa's head hurt with such splitting pain that the fighter could barely stand-up. She forced herself to open her eyes and saw Cloud fighting Sephiroth in a close draw whereas Jenova was fighting a large purple beast that Tifa knew as one of Vincent's forms. She wanted to help, but wasn't sure how as each time she drew closer to Cloud and Sephiroth, her head would throb with more pain. Her only hopes lie in helping Vincent destroy Jenova.

 

She cautiously pushed herself off the ground and stood up while her legs wobbled uneasily. As she inched closer to Jenova and Vincent, she found it odd that his form, the Gallion Beast, was only casting fire magic and not making any physical attacks despite its strength. Most other fighters would ignore this oddity, but Tifa was a smart fighter and she could see how much the fire spells were hurting Jenova; she could also sense that Jenova was slowly weakening each time a fireball was cast. She quickly looked down at her gloves and was relived to find a fire materia equipped. Taking a deep breath, she started to cast fire spells at Jenova and didn't relent until her screams slowly quieted down to nothing.

 

Meanwhile, Cloud and Sephiroth were dueling madly with Cloud looking slightly more worn than his adversary. Cloud lunged wildly at Sephiroth, wounding his arm. The madman merely shrugged it off, anticipating the gash to heal on its own, but it didn't. Sephiroth's face soured after realizing that his wounds weren't healing. He turned in time to see the burnt remains of Jenova and the fast purple blur of Gallion Beast charging straight for him.

 

Finally the tables had turned and Sephiroth was beginning to fight for his life. Though it was now two against one, the one-winged angel was still an enemy not to be taken lightly. The anger of Jenova's death and his realization of mortality caused Sephiroth to fight with an even greater fierceness than Cloud or Vincent could handle. Even with Vincent transformed into a nearly indestructible creature, the two heroes were fighting harder than they ever had since Meteor.

 

Tifa stood in the same place where she had fought Jenova. Her body was still weak from Sephiroth's mental assault and her head still ached with a dull pain. She turned her attention to the epic battle a few feet away and found herself completely helpless. The ringing in her ears would only get louder whenever she got closer to Sephiroth, preventing her from aiding her friends with fists and kicks. All of her magic had been spent burning Jenova to a crisp, which left her with nothing to use at a long distance lest she throw her boots at the one-winged angel.

 

Frantic, Tifa looked around her for anything that could possibly help her fight Sephiroth. Her eyes landed on Vincent's gun, the Death Penalty. She quickly ran over to the weapon and held it up, slightly amazed that her stoic friend could master such a massive gun. She had learned how to fire a gun once when she was very little. It was something her father had taught her, but that was with a small pistol. Now she was holding a large rifle that felt awkward in her tiny hands.

 

Readjusting her position so she could aim through the sight, she tried to target Sephiroth, but found everyone moving so quickly, she wasn't sure if she could hit him without accidentally hitting Cloud or Vincent. Ok, Tifa. Remember what Papa taught you. Taking aim, she fired one round that shot straight through Sephiroth's cloak. The three men didn't even seem to notice that someone was firing into their little battle. Squeeze the trigger! Don't pull! You can do it Tifa. Tifa aimed and shot again, missing Vincent's head by a mere centimeter. Shit! Breathe Tifa! Breathe!

 

Frustrated, she aimed carefully and her heart almost fell as she saw Sephiroth's sword coming down straight for Cloud's head. Cloud was concentrating on stabbing Sephiroth through the chest that he didn't notice the blade coming down to sever his head from his body. Tifa knew that she had to shoot Sephiroth if she was going to save Cloud. Everything was happening so quickly and her heart was beating so loudly that she didn't even feel her finger squeeze the trigger or hear the bullet propel itself out of the barrel of the gun.

 

Cloud felt his Ultima Weapon slide smoothly into Sephiroth's body as blood slowly oozed out of the gaping wound in his chest. Vincent had turned back into his normal body and caught his breath as he watched Sephiroth's death with a feeling of vindication. Cloud withdrew his sword and let Sephiroth's body fall into a bloody heap on the ground. The warrior breathed in deeply finally feeling the relief of closure to an epic battle. He was about to turn and search for Tifa when he noticed the small bullet-sized hole right above Sephiroth's right temple.

 

“Vincent, did you shoot Sephiroth?” Cloud asked as he pointed to the bullet-hole.

 

“No, I didn't have my gun on me,” Vincent answered, also examining the bullet-hole. “But whoever did had perfect aim. It looks like the bullet killed him instantly.”

 

Cloud's eyes widened as he realized that there was only one other person with them and that was Tifa. He turned his head and saw her leaning her body against the Death Penalty as she gave the two heroes a warm sheepish smile. The swordsman ran towards his childhood friend and held her in his arms.

 

“Oh god Tifa. We did it, we finally did it!” Cloud said joyously.

 

“Are they dead? Are Sephiroth and Jenova finally dead?” Tifa asked.

 

“Yes, they're both dead. You did it Tifa, you killed Sephiroth,” Vincent said as he joined the pair in their celebration.

 

Cloud smiled at Tifa who blushed heavily knowing that she was the one who delivered the fatal blow to the greatest enemy ever known to man. “So where did you learn to shoot like that?” Cloud asked.

 

“Papa taught me when I was little, but it was with a pistol. Honestly, I missed twice. Almost shot Vincent in the head before I got Sephiroth. But I had to get him. He . . . he was about to kill you Cloud,” Tifa said with a tremor in her voice.

 

“But he didn't thanks to you. You saved me yet again Tifa. I owe you so much,” Cloud said pulling her into another warm embrace.

 

Tifa relished in his warmth and deeply inhaled his scent. She heard Cloud's compliments and declaration of salvation, but the image of her slapping him across the face still burned in her mind. There were still so many inner battles she was going to have to fight. The war was not yet over for her. However, she didn't want to fight anymore tonight. Tonight she was going to rest, hoping that tomorrow she could put an end to her nightmare.

 

(continued…)