Chapter 2

After they returned to the hotel, they went into the restaurant attached to it and sat down at the bar, where some poor sod in a werewolf costume made them their drinks.

"Ooooh, this is so good," Aerith said after her first sip.

"Hmm, yeah, not bad."

"Huh, guess there speaks the bar owner," Aerith quipped and playfully pushed her shoulder.

"Something like that," Tifa replied with a little smirk. "It's just...something's missing from this one."

"So how was it?"

"Was what?" Tifa looked at her questioningly.

"Owning a bar?"

Tifa placed her glass back down on the counter and ran a finger along its edge. "It was certainly different compared to before I inherited the place. A lot of managing, running numbers, and of course having to work in the kitchen and behind the bar. But..." She nodded. "It was fun. Lots of happy memories in that place."

"I'm sorry," Aerith said and gently placed a hand on the shoulder she had just playfully pushed.

"Don't be. There's bigger things to focus on now."

"That doesn't mean you can't feel sad, you know?"

"I know." Tifa offered her a melancholic smile. "But I know they wouldn't want me to be sad, and remember the good times instead."

"I see. You're a strong person," Aerith said.

"Not as strong as you might think."

"Nonsense." Aerith took another sip of her drink, then placed her glass on the counter as well. "You're strong. Whenever one of us feels down, or questions themselves, you're there to pick us up. We all rely on you. Especially Cloud."

At the mention of him Tifa averted her eyes. "R-really?"

"Of course! Haven't you noticed him always running his travel plans by you? Your opinion matters a great deal."

He really did, didn't he? She never really paid attention to that, mostly because her mind was always torn between her feelings for him and her worry about their conflicting memories. Never mind his closeness with the very girl she was currently talking to.

"S-so, tell me, how was it growing up in the slums?" she immediately changed the topic. Aerith cocked an eyebrow and grasped her glass for another sip.

"It was scary at first. I just lost my mother and I was in a place I didn't know, with a stranger that just so happened to be kind enough to take a little girl in," she said after a moment of silence. "But I got used to it quickly, learned the ins and outs of the slums. Even when Shinra appeared it was more of a nuisance to me, really. They didn't dare harm me. But they were persistent."

She took another sip. "And even if she didn't give birth to me, Elmyra is and will always be my mother."

"We're not so different," Tifa said. "I wasn't as young as you, but I also found myself thrown into the slums after Nibelheim. And it was a kind stranger that took it upon himself to care for me, even if he had nothing to gain from it."

"Was he...?"

"Oh no no," Tifa assured her. "He lives in the slums of Sector 3. Owns a clinic there. His name is Eisuke Hiragi."

"He sounds like a good man," Aerith said with a little smile.

"He is."

"Have you reached out to him? To tell him you're alright."

"There wasn't exactly a lot of time after our escape." Tifa brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Besides, I'm kinda afraid."

Aerith blinked. "Afraid of what?"

"Of what he might think. I never told him about Avalanche. I wanted him to stay out of it, because I already burdened him enough as it is." She sighed and looked deep into her glass. "That probably sounds silly."

"No, not at all. But Tifa, maybe consider letting him know that you're alright. Maybe when things are a bit calmer?" Aerith suggested.

Tifa nodded. She was right, she probably should. But not right now. Not with things still being as confusing as they were with Cloud.

One problem at a time, she thought.

A giggle from Aerith made her look towards the other woman. "What?"

"You know, with us both being taken in by kind strangers it almost feels like we're sisters!"

Tifa scoffed, but couldn't help the little grin forming on her lips. The flower girl in turn raised her glass and held it out towards her.

"To kind strangers taking in girls in need," she said.

"I'll drink to that," Tifa replied and clanked her glass against Aerith's.

After the two finished their drinks they ordered another round. And one after that. Tifa, having worked in a bar for years, enjoyed a drink here and there and had a pretty high tolerance for the stuff. The drinks weren't even that strong either, a clever tactic to make customers order more. But Aerith, on the other hand, didn't have much experience drinking and was thus pretty tipsy.

But she was having fun, so Tifa didn't stop her just yet. They were laughing and talking about this or that, nothing in particular, really. That was until Aerith decided to drop a bombshell on her.

"So, Tifa," Aerith said and leaned closer to her, draping an arm over her shoulders. "Ever kissed a girl before?"

Tifa's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the choice of topic and the sudden closeness. Was she—?

No, can't be. She's probably just teasing, she thought. It was certainly a private topic, but she was in a good mood and why not humor her?

"As a matter of fact, I have," Tifa replied with a little smile and drank her drink.

She watched Aerith's eyes widen a little in surprise, before that teasing glint returned to those green eyes of hers. "Oho! So how did it feel?"

Her mind wandered back to the kiss she had shared with Jessie once. How soft her lips had been against her own, so unlike a man's.

"Different," Tifa said simply.

"Aww, come on," Aerith said and shook her a little. "Gimme the dirt, girl!"

"It was just...different. It's hard to describe. I...I don't have much experience," she said the last part in a small voice, face flush in embarrassment.

"Hmm. I see." Aerith removed her arm and proceeded to cross it with her other one in front of her chest. "Must feel quite different from Cloud, I wager."

If at all possible her blush intensified. "I-I wouldn't know!"

"Ah, but I bet you'd like to know."

"You mean like you do?" Tifa shot back, looking down onto the counter. And here it was back to Cloud again, a topic she'd honestly rather avoid.

"I do owe him a date," Aerith said. As Tifa heard those words she found herself gripping her glass tightly. She liked Aerith, she really did. In fact, sometimes she felt that it would be better to dislike her so this whole Cloud situation would be more clear cut.

A hand placed itself on top of hers and gave it a little squeeze, making her loosen her grip and release a sigh. "You know we're just childhood friends."

"That's a load of crap," Aerith said bluntly, making Tifa turn to look at her and almost fall out of her seat at how close the other woman's face was, flushed red from the alcohol. "You should be more honest with yourself, you know?"

Aerith gripped both of her shoulders and shook her a little. "You gotta take some chances, girl! Or someone else eventually will. Yeah, I owe him a date, and I find him pretty cute and I'm aggressive about it. But I don't own his feelings."

Tifa, meanwhile, could only stare wide eyed at Aerith's outburst while she was being shaken. Maybe she had too much to drink after all and had just been too good at hiding it?

"So if there's even a sliver of a chance that he likes you back, you gotta take it. I won't hold it against you!" Aerith told her. "Also I know for a fact that Yuffie has a crush on him and she definitely isn't one to take a backseat, so what's it gonna be?"

Could they really do this without things going sour between them? Or wouldn't it just be better to take a step back from it and let Aerith have her chance?

But what if she's right? she wondered. What if Cloud did have feelings for her as well?

The part of her that had loved him for so long leaped in joy at the prospect of him reciprocating her feelings, but the part of her that doubted herself fought back. In the end, the decision was seemingly taken from her, as she noticed Aerith looking past her, her eyes lighting up a little.

"Speak of the devil. Hey, Cloud!" Aerith called out and lifted a hand, waving it in the direction of the entrance. Tifa immediately pushed Aerith's other hand off her and turned around to see that Cloud really was walking towards them, something slung over his shoulder.

She swallowed and her heart thumped loudly inside her chest. He didn't hear anything, did he? "H-hi."

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, looking between the two of them.

"Oh not at all!" Aerith said cheerfully. "Just talking and having a drink."

Cloud raised an eyebrow and shrugged, then turned to Tifa. "Got something for ya."

"F-for me?" Tifa asked.

"Mhm." he nodded and handed her the object he had slung over his shoulder. A belt, as she was noticing now.

"What's that?"

"The champion's belt," he said like it was no biggy. "I heard it could enhance physical prowess and instantly thought of you."

"I—thank you, Cloud," Tifa said and took the offered item, looking at it in amazement. Did he really hole himself up inside the Battle Square just to win her that?

Her heart made a small flutter of joy and she felt a smile creep onto her lips. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Aerith give her a knowing look as she rose to her feet.

"As I was saying, I better get going," Aerith said and let out a little yelp as she stumbled, but managed to put a hand on the counter to support herself.

"Take it as a little head start," she whispered into Tifa's ear and gave her a little wink before pushing herself back on her feet. "Wow! Too much to drink. Yup, better go lie down. Have fun, you two!"

Tifa and Cloud watched as the flower girl left the restaurant, this time without stumbling. Once Aerith was out of sight she turned towards Cloud, thinking back to what Aerith had just told her.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she gripped the belt tightly and gave Cloud a smile, asking: "Fancy a drink with me?"

Cloud shrugged and gave her a little smile. "Sure."

She watched him sit down and order his drink, before turning towards her. "So what have you been doing all day?"

Tifa let out a little laugh, before she started to tell him of her day. And as they talked, she found that taking chances might not be so bad.

Perhaps if they returned to this place they could spend some time together, just the two of them?

It was later that evening when she returned to the room she was sharing with Aerith. She found the flower girl lying on top of her bed, her boots discarded somewhere and looking like she had sobered up some as read a magazine.

"How did it go?" she asked with a smile after Tifa had closed the door.

"We just talked over a drink," Tifa said, sitting down on her own bed and putting the belt on the nightstand before starting to unlace her boots. "But we had fun."

"Good going, girl." Aerith put the magazine away. "So anything special you talked about?"

"About our day and some other small talk," she shrugged with a small smile. "Where we're going next. So nothing interesting I suppose."

Aerith let out a disappointed sigh. "As long as you had fun."

"We did." Her smile grew a little bigger. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They fell into a comfortable silence, and after Tifa had removed her boots she proceeded to lie down as well. After a while Aerith spoke up, her tone uncharacteristically serious.

"You know, I want to be open with you. Cloud reminds me of my previous boyfriend," Aerith admitted. Tifa pushed herself up on her elbows to look at the other woman. She looked downright vulnerable right now. "I told Cloud that it wasn't anything serious, but to me it was. I was, no, we were happy. But then one day he left and never returned. That was years ago."

Aerith released a shaky sigh. "I don't know what happened. Maybe he found another girl more to his liking? That's better than the alternative, I suppose..."

Tifa looked at Aerith and just from the look in her eyes, she could tell that it still hurt her to this day. Slowly she got out of bed and sat down next to the flower girl, placing a hand on her shoulder the same way Aerith had done earlier. The other woman gave her a sad smile. "Thanks."

They fell silent again for a moment but this time it was Tifa who broke it. "You know that girl I kissed?"

"What about her?"

"It was Jessie. One of my friends from Avalanche." Tifa sighed and shook her head. Pulling out her phone, she opened up a picture of Jessie and her to show Aerith. "She was the one in charge of our tech."

"She looks pretty," Aerith commented.

Tifa chuckled. "And quite the flirt too. I think the two of you would have gotten along great."

"Were you two together?"

"No. It was just a date and we shared a kiss, but in the end decided we were better off as friends," she told Aerith. "When I snuck out to spy on Corneo it was her that helped me get ready. If I knew what was about to happen I'd have asked her to come along."

Tifa scrolled through the pictures that Jessie had sent her one by one. "I received those in Kalm. She must have sent them just before it happened."

"You clearly were important to her," Aerith said.

"Yeah." Sometimes she found herself wondering just how important. "Jessie always liked to take pictures, you know, collecting 'memories'."

"Is that why you're doing it now, to honor her memory?"

"Yes. And because it's actually fun," she chuckled. Then something dawned on her. "I saw you back then."

"Back when?"

"During our date. We were on top of the plate in Sector 8 and on the way to Club Shiva when I saw you selling flowers near the theater."

Aerith giggled. "That area was always one of my better sale places. Must be all that partying and dating up there."

"I was actually considering buying a flower for the shop. Funny coincidence. We could've met so much earlier," Tifa said in wonderment.

"Guess it was fate?" Aerith said and bumped her shoulder against Tifa. "Club Shiva though? How did you manage that one?"

"Jessie hacked the club's database and set herself up as a fake VIP."

They shared a laugh at that one.

"Sounds like she was a fun person, alright. Like you said, we might have gotten along quite well."

"She would've just shamelessly flirted with you."

"Who knows?" Aerith winked at her. "Maybe I would've flirted right back."

"I don't think anyone would've been able to take that," Tifa chuckled. "Hey, wanna take one?"

"A photo?"

"Yeah." Tifa nodded.

"How about tomorrow?" Aerith yawned. "I'm starting to get tired. Besides the lighting here is terrible."

"Fine by me."

And so they did. The very next day, as they stood in front of their newly acquired buggy, they asked Cloud to take one of them together. Tifa stood with a hand on her hip, while Aerith held onto her arm and did a little V-sign with her fingers, as they both smiled into the camera.

Cloud released a mixture of scoff and chuckle, but did as he was asked to.

After that their group entered the buggy, Tifa sat down behind the wheel, having offered to take the first driving shift of the day. After everyone had gotten seated, Cait Sith having a little trouble due to the size of whatever it was he was riding, Cloud gave her a thumbs up to signal that they were ready.

Turning the key, the engine came to life and Tifa pressed her foot down on the gas pedal as she drove the vehicle out of the huge garage.

Leaving the Gold Saucer behind, they continued their journey through the Corel Desert towards the next destination that Cloud had discussed with her the previous evening, before she had returned to her room.

Some place called Gongaga.

And that's a wrap. I thought writing something light hearted after Emerald Dream would be just the right thing to soothe my and your souls. Fun fact: This was actually a one shot, but when I noticed I wrote over 6k words I decided to split it into two chapters for better reading convience.

Well I hope you enjoyed this one, because next week we're gonna go into some drama and angst territory with its sequel. Until then, have a good one!

Read & review!