The Past That Haunts - Chapter 1: Part 1 - Games - http://maxpages.com/everythingff7/Chapter_1_Part

Tifa Lockheart sat in the darkening barroom, her head in her hands. She stared dejectedly at a glass of wine in front of her. No guests filled the room, for she’d closed early. She wasn’t quite in the mood to entertain guests.

She sighed and closed her eyes, wanting to disappear, if only for a moment. /One year. Has it really been one year since I last saw him?/ She absentmindedly drummed her fingers on the tabletop as she thought about the day Cloud had left. /I wonder where his is now.../ She laughed bitterly and stood up, reaching for her wineglass. /He’s probably searching for some way to bring her back./

Yes, her. Aeris. The thought of Cloud trying to bring Aeris back was enough to make Tifa sick. She’d always been in the way, pushing herself between Tifa and Cloud and driving the wedge between them deeper. And not because he was himself, no, she wanted him because he reminded her of Zack! Tifa took a gulp of her wine, wanting to drown herself in it. But she felt a twinge of regret for her thoughts of Aeris. Aeris had been her dearest friend. How could she feel such envy for someone who meant so much to her? Tifa hung her head, ashamed of her behavior. /I’m sorry, Aeris. You’re dead, and here I am angry at you. It’s not your fault that everyone loved you. /

Sighing, Tifa stood up and walked over to the back of the bar to clean her glass. It’s not Aeris’s fault that Cloud’s in love with her. All she did was be herself. /I guess I’ve been living a fantasy all my life./ That thought hurt, and Tifa winced almost involuntarily. /No, that can’t be right. When we were in the Lifestream, Cloud told me that he loved me. Just not in words. So maybe there’s still some hope for me.../ But with each passing day that Cloud was not there, Tifa felt that small light of hope inside her burning steadily down to ash.

As she set the glass back on the shelf, she surveyed her bar. It was much larger than her old Seventh Heaven, but it wasn’t as homey as Seventh Heaven had been. Of course, it was located in Costa del Sol, where everything was bigger, but not necessarily better. She’d called it, for a bit of a joke, Heroes’ Haven, a spin off of Seventh Heaven. It was quite popular, and she’d done well for her first year of business, but she’d never really been happy there.

/Of course not, because I’m all alone. Everyone else is gone. Even Barret, though he told me he’d be coming back as soon as he got some things settled./ Tifa frowned slightly and got out a rag to start wiping the tables. /Might as well do something besides mope,/ she thought to herself. She glanced outside one of her main windows and caught the sun sinking behind the horizon. Smiling despite her depressed mood, she took in the beauty of the sky. As she looked at the sky, she suddenly laughed at herself. /Oh, Tifa, you’re so silly when you’ve been alone for awhile! If I want to see everybody, I can just go see them! Cloud’s still got some problems, and not all of them have to do with Aeris. I’ll just give him some time to work things out. /

Her mood was becoming lighter with each thought. /Sometimes, I think I’ve been around Vincent too long./ She let out a slight giggle as she returned to washing the tables. /There are days when I couldn’t smile for the life of me!/ Returning her thoughts to who she wanted to go see, she shoved any doubts of Cloud’s return or his feelings for Aeris out of her mind. /Hmm... Who haven’t I heard from in a long time?/ she asked herself, pausing in her washing to contemplate. /I know! I’ll go see Shera. I wonder how she and Cid are doing. Then I’ll go see what Barret’s up to. I miss him a lot, and Marlene too./

As she became lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the figure standing just outside the door, holding it open.

"Excuse me, Miss, but may I stop in for a drink?" A cool, melodious tenor voice broke through Tifa’s thoughts.

Tifa frowned and turned. Her eyes fell on someone who reminded her strangely of Sephiroth, though he certainly looked saner than Sephiroth had. There were some similarities, some differences. The man standing in her doorway was well toned all over, but not overly muscular as Sephiroth had been. He had a delicate, pale face, which made her think of Vincent’s, with hair that was golden-silver and looked perfectly natural. It was as long as Vincent’s had been, perhaps even longer, and tied back into an elegant horsetail behind him. Tifa would have passed him off as simply a normal person had it not been for his eyes. Now, Tifa had seen some strange eyes. Vincent Valentine’s were red, for the Planet’s sake! But, this man had silver eyes. And they looked completely natural, with no Mako enhancement or anything. Tifa stood and studied him, deducting whether he was harmful to her or not. After several minutes, she finally decided that it could do no harm to let him in for a drink. She smiled at him and said, "Come on in. I’m about ready to close up, but you can come in for a quick drink."

The man nodded his gratitude to her and stepped inside the room. Tifa walked over to the bar, beckoning for him to come with her. As he walked, she noticed his lean, cat-like stride. /I’ve never seen someone so graceful,/ Tifa thought as she walked behind the counter and he took a seat on a bar stool.

"So, what’ll you have?" she asked.

"Give me something hard," he replied in that melodious tenor.

But Tifa stood frozen for a moment. Her mind drifted back almost against her will to a time when someone else had said that. To when Cloud had said that. Cloud... That was when Aeris had been alive, when Tifa had been filled with such hope... That black cloud of despair descended on her again, and her former good mood disappeared. She turned away from the man at her counter quickly and made him a drink. /I will not cry here,/ she thought forcefully to herself. I am not a child anymore; I’m twenty-one years old now. She turned back to the silver-eyed man and handed him his drink. Apologetically, she said, "I’m sorry. I’m kind of out of it today. You’ll have to excuse my behavior."

The man looked at her over his drink, his silver eyes never leaving her face. "There’s no reason for you to ask my forgiveness. You’ve done nothing wrong."

She found his gaze a bit unnerving, so she glanced away. "So," she began conversationally, "where are you from? I’ve never seen you here before."

Something flickered in the back of the man’s eyes. "I’m from...many places," he said slowly, as if measuring his words.

Tifa found this intriguing. /I wonder if he’s seen Cloud.../ "Where are you going next?" she asked.

He gave her a guarded look. "Why do you want to know?"

Tifa shrugged and went to retrieve the rag that she’d left on the table. "I was just curious. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to."

"I’m searching for the City of the Ancients."

This caught Tifa’s interest. "How come?"

The man took a sip of his drink and rested his keen, silver eyes on her. "I don’t feel comfortable disclosing that information," he told her softly.

For some reason, this made Tifa like him more, the fact that he was so gentle about refusing to answer her question. She smiled a bit and returned to washing the tables. "Well, that’s fine. I was just interested."

He let out a lovely, soft chuckle. "What a typical bar tender. Well, miss, allow me to introduce myself. I am Zephyre Airronian." He gave her a small wink.

Tifa smiled, starting to wonder if Cloud’s absence was such a bad thing. "I’m Tifa Lockheart," she replied.

Zephyre gave her a surprised look. "You’re Tifa Lockheart?"

She bit her lip and glanced down. "Unfortunately."

His fine lips widened in a smile. "That’s amazing. Miss Lockheart, I’ve wanted to meet you ever since you saved the Planet. And your friends as well."

Tifa looked away for a moment. Am I blushing? Great Planet, I haven’t blushed in years. She turned back toward him. "Thank you, Zephyre."

Zephyre took another sip of his drink, his eyes still on her. "You know, Tifa, I think I might stay in Costa del Sol for a while," he told her, his eyes light with humor.

Tifa thought that she’d definitely enjoy it.

***
"Nanaki? There’s a strange man who is asking to see you."

Nanaki almost laughed at the sound of the man’s quivering voice. Undoubtedly, Vincent Valentine was here, as he’d expected. "Let him in," he commanded.

The door to Nanaki’s rooms opened, and a tall, lean figure slipped in. Vincent Valentine hadn’t changed at all since the last time Nanaki had seen him. He was still a handsome, dark-haired man who looked no older than twenty-seven. Of course, Nanaki knew him to be well over fifty, but Vincent would never look it. Nanaki nodded at his old friend. "It’s good to see you, Vincent."

Vincent glanced at him accusingly. "You knew I’d be here."

Nanaki merely looked out the window. "No, I knew that something was wrong in the Northern Crater. Since you have been at Lucrecia’s Waterfall lately, I had a feeling that you might know."

Vincent smiled reluctantly. "You’re right, of course, Red." He used the old name for Nanaki fondly.

"If you’ve come to ask me whether I know anything about the new activity in the Northern Crater, I must say that I don’t know what’s going on. I thought we might, perhaps, take a journey there and see what was going on," Nanaki said, looking at Vincent.

Vincent sighed heavily. "I don’t know, Red. I don’t want to be anywhere near the Crater anymore."

Nanaki shrugged as best as the beast could. "It is your choice, of course. If you don’t wish to go with me, then I will certainly convince someone else to."

Vincent looked at him for a moment, his eyes keen and perceiving. "Something else is wrong. Why didn’t you ask Cloud to come help you?"

Nanaki held Vincent’s gaze steadily. "That’s the other thing I need your help on. Cloud’s been missing ever since we saved the Planet. The Planet is screaming again, and I feel that something is terribly wrong with it."

Vincent turned away and looked out the window, where he could see the former Midgar crumbling to pieces. "So, what do you think is in the Northern Crater?"

Nanaki shook his head. "I don’t think that Sephiroth’s back, but I do believe that the WEAPONs are back. Though, for what purpose, I don’t know."

Vincent glanced at him. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Nanaki sighed. "I didn’t want to burden you anymore. I felt that you had enough troubles of your own. I should have known you’d figure out what I intended eventually, though."

Vincent smiled wryly and began to walk toward the door. "Do you have our materia?"

"No, we’re going to have to retrieve it from Miss Kisaragi," Nanaki told him.

Vincent let out a groan. "I certainly hope the child’s matured in a year. At least this time she can’t steal our materia."

"So, you’re going with me?" Nanaki asked.

Vincent shrugged. "I have nothing better to do with my life."

***
Cloud Strife stared up at the bar. "Heroes’ Haven" it was called. Cloud knew it was Tifa’s bar. He wasn’t sure whether to go in or not, though. /After a whole year, will she still want me?/ That was the question that had burned in his mind ever since he’d realized how long he’d been gone. He wasn’t quite ready to return to her, but he still felt he owed it to her to see her once in a while. He stepped up to the door and was about to open it when he glanced in the window.

There she sat, looking gorgeous as ever. Why did I never notice how beautiful she is? Was I always this blind? She was smiling at someone sitting across from her, and Cloud was so captivated by her smile that he failed to look at who she was smiling at. /I’m not worthy of her,/ he thought to himself, but he found himself wishing that he were in there, looking into those soft brown eyes of hers.

It was at this moment that he turned his eyes toward her companion...and received a shock. Sitting across from Tifa was a man who could easily surpass Vincent and even compare to Sephiroth in outward appearance. The handsome man was sitting, relaxed, in a chair across from Tifa, looking into her eyes and talking to her in a more casual manner than Cloud was comfortable with. Cloud felt a spark of jealousy race through him, but he quickly quelled it. /Maybe she doesn’t like him any more than as a friend,/ he thought hopefully. He turned his attention back to Tifa to study her reaction a little more. He noticed that her smile was radiant and her eyes were shining. /Did she ever smile like that for me?/ he wondered to himself. /Of course not, I never gave her a chance to. What was I thinking, coming back here. I knew she’d find someone else in the end./ He hung his head dejectedly as he turned away from the door. /I’ll just...go somewhere else and leave her alone. She obviously doesn’t...need...me./

He walked away from Costa del Sol and mounted his gold chocobo, leaving the town just as rain began to fall. He was so filled with grief that he couldn’t think straight. /All those years. All those years that she loved me and waited for me. And I squandered them. I wasted them because I was scared of myself. Damnit, she could have helped me through everything!/ He pushed his gold chocobo faster, wanting to outrun his thoughts.

/I should have known. I should have known that, in the end, I’d lose the only thing that could have ever made me happy./ Cloud knew that he was a fool. He’d known that for so long that it didn’t hurt so much anymore. But losing Tifa because he’d been scared of himself was worse than being a fool. /Coward, Cloud Strife,/ he thought to himself. She’d tried to tell him how she’d felt over and over, and he’d never given her a chance to. Now she was gone. He’d blown all his chances.

Now nothing would fill the emptiness inside of him; the emptiness that Sephiroth used to fill. Sometimes, Cloud could still hear him inside, playing him like the puppet he was. Cloud had left Tifa to try to rid himself of the emptiness so that he could be whole when he returned to her. But, while searching for that inner peace, he’d discovered that Tifa was the only thing who could make the emptiness that Sephiroth had once filled disappear. Only Tifa could save him from himself.

/I learned that too late, he thought bitterly,/ letting the chocobo slow down as he neared Lucrecia’s Waterfall. /Huh, I wonder if Vincent’s there. Now we’re two of a kind. We’ve both lost the only thing that matters to us. It’d be nice to talk to him./ Cloud was about to ride toward the waterfall when he caught sight of a familiar silver vehicle parked near Corel. /The Highwind?/ he asked himself, squinting against the glare of the sun to see it parked quietly by the town. /Cid’s here? I wonder why... Oh, well, what does it matter? I hate to say it, but I’ve missed him./ It suddenly struck Cloud that he’d missed the entire team ever since he left them. Even Yuffie.

Cloud decided to leave the brooding Vincent alone and turned the chocobo toward the Highwind. He quickly gained ground on it, and he dismounted as soon as he reached the huge airship. A couple of the crew were lounging around at the bottom of the airship, so he headed toward them.

As he neared them, he called out, "Where’s the Captain?"

The crewmen turned toward him. One, the man who was the pilot, stepped toward Cloud with a smile. "Cloud! It’s good to see you! The Captain’s in Corel talking to Barret and Reeve."

Cloud nodded his thanks to the man, then turned and entered the town. /So, Reeve’s here too, huh?/ Cloud thought fondly. /I wonder what that crafty guy’s been up to lately.../

Cloud found out when he entered Corel. Only the year before Corel had been a dejected, sad reminder of Shinra. Homes had been nothing but rubble and people had lived in tents. Obviously Reeve had not just been sitting around. He had used his money to restore Corel and help the inhabitants. Now there were houses and a small but growing shopping center. Of course, minors still made up the majority, and with Mako gone, the miners were back in business. Cloud smiled slightly as he walked through the town. He knew where Barret, Cid, and Reeve would be. They were standing in the center of the town, talking.

"Barret! Cid! Reeve!" he called, extremely glad to see them.

The three men turned as one and looked at him. Reeve smiled slightly and shouted, "Cloud! It’s good to see you!"

"Where ya been this past year, foo’?" Barret called.

Cloud sauntered up to them and shrugged. "Oh, here and there, you know."

Barret growled. "Well, ya know tha’ Tif’s missed ya, doncha, Cloud? Did ya go t’ see ‘er?"

Cloud looked down at the ground. "Yes, but I couldn’t go into her bar."

"Why not?" Cid asked, puffing on a cigarette.

Cloud felt very vulnerable all of a sudden. "She was...busy when I got there, and I couldn’t disturb her."

Barret looked like he was about to say something to Cloud, but Reeve stepped in smoothly. "Well, I’m sure you can talk to Tifa later, Cloud." He shot a meaningful glance at Barret, who simply glared at him. "Cloud, did you know that everybody wants Barret to be the mayor of Corel? He was voted mayor last week. He doesn’t want to take the job, though."

Barret shrugged. "I ain’t so good at socializin’, ya know?"

Reeve sighed in exasperation. Cid chuckled. "Reeve, I don’t think you’ll get a mayor out of him," Cid teased.

Reeve shrugged. "Well, can’t say I didn’t try."

Cid turned toward Cloud. "Cloud, do you know what Reeve just started about six months ago after evacuating the people from Midgar?"

Cloud grinned. "Yeah, I know. He started the United Planet Organization." Cloud glanced at Reeve. "That’s a big achievement, uniting all the people on the Planet. I heard that even Wutai joined."

Reeve laughed. "Well, they made us promise not to restrict their weapons, and since they’ve always made the best of weapons, I agreed. Surprisingly enough, the one I had to work to convince was Costa del Sol. They did not want to be part of an international organization. They thought they’d do better on their own."

Barret gave Reeve a distrustful glance. "Yeah, but this foo’ is the leader, ya know? I don’ think I like this ‘international’ stuff."

Reeve rolled his eyes. "You wouldn’t. You’re too simpleminded to realize what I’ve done. This ‘international stuff’ can stop the rise of another Shinra. The leader of the UPO is elected every four years and one man can never run twice. It’s completely fool proof. There will never be another Shinra."

"Let’s hope not," Cloud muttered. He looked around again, letting his eyes rest on the new buildings in Corel. "You know, Reeve, you guys have done an admirable job, here."

Reeve swelled with pride. "The UPO’s main functions are, first to stop the rise of corporations, and second to help anyone in need of financial aid. We don’t ever want anyone in the slums again." His eyes grew fierce, and Cloud believed him when he said that.

Cloud frowned. "So, what did you do with all the refugees from Midgar?"

Reeve sighed. "We sent a lot to Nibelheim, because that’s generally an unpopulated place, but most were crammed into all the cities around the world. We’re trying to build another city as big as Migar to hold everybody in. But that takes a lot of time, and we’re still trying to restore everything Shinra destroyed in all the already built towns."

TOMBR13@AOL.com

Sign Guestbook

View Guestbook

Visitors: 00761

Page Updated Sat Jun 17, 2000 11:00pm EDT