Chapter 5:

Tifa's mind flitted in and out of consciousness intermittently. She desperately tried to grasp the vague feelings of reality that floated by her like leaves in a stream, but they constantly remained just out of her reach, thwarting her every attempt to grasp them. She registered voices, lights, faces, other sounds, and warmth, but she was unable to fully move into the realm where they would make any sense. She felt like a passing spectator who was simply viewing her world through a moving window.

She didn't know how long she slept or how much of what she saw was real. After what seemed like an eternity of drifting back and forth between reality and ennui, she began to grasp hold of familiar sensations that flitted around her like capricious butterflies. She groaned -- a noise that she had absolutely no control over -- and stirred from where she lay prone on a soft surface of some sort.

"Hey Yuffie, come in here. I think she's coming around," a masculine voice reached Tifa's ears. She tried to focus on the source of the voice, but it eluded her. It sounded familiar, though. Who was it? Cloud? No, it wasn't quite deep enough to be Cloud's voice. Was it Barret? No, not loud enough. Cid? No, it was too polite and restrained. Who was it?

She suddenly found her hand in the warm grip of another person. The same reassuring voice spoke in her ear, "Tifa, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

The young woman opened her eyes, but everything around her seemed blurry and disoriented. She pressed her free hand to her forehead and was suddenly aware that her temples were throbbing. What had happened?

Then, a new voice reached her ears, this one more sprightly and feminine, "Hey, Tiff. About time you woke up. How ya feeling?"

Tifa's eyes slowly began to focus as she rubbed at them with her hand. She was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling of her living room. It was dark, but it was not cold. Someone had thrown a blanket over her and there was a fire burning peacefully in the hearth. She rested her head back down on the pillow and glanced about her. Reeve was kneeling on the floor by her side, her hand being gripped gently in his. Yuffie came sauntering up behind him and plopped down on the coffee table.

Tifa blinked and spoke groggily, "What happened?"

Yuffie shot her a quizzical glance, "You fainted in the alleyway after I chased away that creep Reno. Don't you remember?"

The former fighter tried to recall the memory, and it came to her with a bit of effort. Yes, now she remembered the encounter with Reno. He had almost killed her. He had pointed a gun at her head. He was going to pull the trigger, but then......then Yuffie came and saved her. Yes, that is what happened. What about afterwards? Why did everything after that seem like a blur?

"Did you say I fainted?" she asked hoarsely.

"Yeah, you sure did," Yuffie explained, brown eyes full of concern, "You hit your head on the concrete pretty hard on the way down. I didn't think you were the fainting type, Tiff."

"Yeah, me neither," Tifa agreed with a chuckle. She fainted? That didn't sound right; that didn't sound right at all. She remembered being scared, but scared enough to faint afterwards? She sighed, I guess I really am getting weaker, she thought forlornly.

The young woman gently went to withdraw her hand from Reeve's grip, but when she looked at the young man's hands, she couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the sight of his bright, multi-colored fingernails. Reeve relinquished her hand and stuffed his painted appendages in his pockets self-consciously, a sheepish smile covering his face. He got up off the floor and went over to sit down in a chair near the fire.

"So how ya feeling?" Yuffie repeated.

"Fine, I guess," Tifa answered unenthusiastically. Her head was throbbing, but it wasn't all that bad. She had felt worse, "Where's Marlene?"

"Ah, last time I checked, she was in her room. You want me to get her?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa nodded, and the ninja got up and dashed out of the room. The former fighter rested her hands behind her head and exhaled deeply. Her worries of Marlene were what ultimately caused her to faint back in the alley, now that she thought about it. She didn't want the little girl to have to go through something as traumatic as her death. She was so sweet and innocent; she shouldn't have to deal with something like that.

Reeve, hands still in pockets, spoke up, "So, um......Yuffie told me all about what happened. I couldn't quite believe my ears. I thought for sure the Turks were through."

"Yeah, me too," Tifa said dejectedly, "I never would have imagined that Reno would try to reform them, let alone try to reform such high aspirations. He wanted to rebel against the entire city. Can you believe that? And to think that he actually thought that I would want any part of it......"

"Well, the fledgling government of Midgar is still vulnerable," Reeve said with a shrug, "It's only been in operation for three years now, and right now we're just praying that the peace will last long enough for the president and his cabinet to establish peace. If the Turks were to try anything right now, I daresay they may just have the power and the influence to accomplish their sordid goals. We should definitely keep an eye on them."

Tifa sat upright with a groan and threw the blanket onto the arm of the couch. She rested with her arms on her knees as she stared intently into the fire. So much was beginning to spring up. How could she possibly keep track of it all? She glanced at the clock on the wall -- 9:47. To think, she had awakened that very morning under the assumption that it was going to be just another ordinary day. Instead, the world had suddenly decided to start moving, to start conspiring, to drag her and her friends along a path that could only lead to destruction and fighting and heartache. So much had happened today. So much had changed. So much was suddenly at stake.

At that moment, Marlene burst into the room with Yuffie following closely behind her. The little girl jumped up on the couch and flung her arms around her guardian, "Auntie Tifa! Are you alright? Auntie Yuffie told me you hit your head!"

Tifa chuckled as she stroked the little girl's smooth hair affectionately, "Yes, I'm fine, sweetie. I just fell down, that's all. Auntie Yuffie and Mr. Reeve helped me get better."

She looked down at the little girl and noticed that she was clutching a piece of paper in her hand. The young woman motioned to it and asked, "What's that you've got there?"

Marlene sniffled and handed it to the young woman. Tifa accepted it and looked it over. It was a little card with the words "Get well soon" scrawled on the front in colorful letters. There were little drawings adorning the cover, as well as a few spots of glitter. Tifa opened it up and read what was written on the inside:

Auntie Tifa,

I hope you get better soon. Auntie Yuffie told me you hit your head, and I hope you're okay. I don't want you to be hurt. I'll try to

"That's when Auntie Yuffie came in and told me you woke up," Marlene said as she pointed to the end of the unfinished sentence. She hugged her guardian again and said, "I'm glad you're okay, Auntie Tifa."

"Oh Marlene, that's no nice of you. Thank you," Tifa said happily as her eyes began to tear up. She returned the embrace and patted the little girl's head, "I feel better now that I have this card. Now why don't you go get ready for bed? It's getting late."

"Okay," the little girl said reluctantly, "Please be careful, Auntie Tifa. I don't want you to hit your head again."

"Don't worry, sweetie; I won't," Tifa reassured the little girl as she scooted off the couch and scampered out of the room.

Tifa slowly stood up, stretched, and placed the unfinished card up on the mantle over the steady fire. She sat back down on the couch and rested her hands on her lap contently.

Yuffie leaned up against the wall casually. She turned to the former fighter and asked, "Ya hungry?"

Tifa glanced over in the ninja's direction and said, "Yes, starving. I haven't eaten since lunch."

"Well, sit tight. I'll go get some of the stuff Reeve made for dinner," Yuffie said as she went into the kitchen.

Tifa glanced over at the young man, "You made dinner? I didn't know you could cook."

Reeve just shrugged, hands still in pockets, "Yeah, a little. I'm no five-star chef, but I can make do with what I've got. Hope you don't mind that I used your kitchen or anything."

Tifa waved her hand dismissively, "No, not at all. I'm just glad you were here to cook for Marlene. I shudder to think what Yuffie would have prepared for her."

"Hey, I heard that!" the young woman in question shouted from the kitchen, "And I'll have you know that I am an excellent cook......when I want to be!"

"Of course you are," Tifa said in the general direction of the kitchen.

A short beep signified that the microwave had finished heating, and Yuffie walked in a moment later carrying a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. She handed it to the former fighter, who accepted it gratefully and began to dig in.

Yuffie sprawled out on a nearby chair and said to no one in particular, "Wonder why those Turkeys decided to resurface now. What do you suppose they want?"

Reeve sighed tiredly as he glanced into the fire, "At this point, we can only speculate on their true intentions. Although, knowing them, they are undoubtedly up to no good."

Tifa swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti and spoke up, "Reno said something about leading Midgar out of the 'shallow little utopia it had found itself in'. It sounds like he's planning a revolt or something."

Reeve snorted, "Yeah, that definitely sounds like something they'd do. Reno always was too ambitious for his own good. With him leading the Turks......" he trailed off, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words.

"Hey Reeve," Yuffie turned to the young man, "You used to work for Shinra, right? What do you know about the Turks that we don't?"

Reeve sighed. He continued to stare into the fire as he answered, "I know they were formed years ago by Tseng, and under his guidance, it turned into a powerful organization. They worked freelance for a while before they became associated with Shinra. Under Tseng's guidance, the Turks were noble, honorable. He was a good man who wanted what was best for the men and women who worked under him. When he died, well, the Turks just kind of fell apart. I was still in Shinra at the time; I saw everything that went on behind the scenes, the things that the big executives didn't want the world to know about. I'd really rather not go into detail about it all, but trust me when I say that what ensued was not pretty. There was a great deal of betrayal and back-stabbing going on, and it would take the death of Rufus for everything to finally quiet down. I'm not entirely sure what happened with the Turks after that, except that they just kind of split up and went their separate ways. I suppose Reno succeeded in getting most of them back together."

"And now they're looking for more members to help them take control of the city," Yuffie added her own thoughts, "including Tiff."

The former fighter looked up as she wiped her mouth on a napkin. She set the plate of food down on the coffee table and rubbed at her aching temples, "This is too much. What would they possibly want with me?"

"Well, you would know better than us, and I guess Reno would know better than you," Yuffie pointed out.

"Right. Well, I haven't got the slightest idea, I'm afraid," Tifa said with a slight shrug, "But now that the Turks have set their sights on me, I doubt they're going to just let me go so easily. You heard what Reno said, right? 'Nobody says no to the Turks'. They're going to try to get me to accept their deal and join them, one way or another."

"The question is," Reeve spoke softly, "what lengths will they be willing to go to in order to get what they want?"

Tifa glanced at the young man questioningly; she didn't like the tone with which he said that. She asked hesitantly, "What do you mean, Reeve?"

The young man sat up straight and tore his gaze from the fire. He fixed Tifa with a piercing stare, "Tifa, you know how tenacious the Turks are, especially Reno. Once he sets his sights on something, he will stop at nothing to get it. Nothing. I've known him personally from my days with Shinra, and I know firsthand how ruthless and focused he can be. He's going to employ every trick he knows in order to get his way. There is no limit to the depths he would stoop in order to get you to join the Turks."

Fearing what the young man was going to say next, Tifa found it somewhat difficult to ask, "And just how far do you think he will go?"

Reeve's eyes hardened, "It is my belief that he will try to kidnap Marlene in order to force you to comply. I give him five days at the most to find out where you live, what times you aren't home, and what kind of security system you have here."

Tifa's heart sank into her stomach upon hearing her friend's words. She knew that he was right, of course, but she desperately wanted to believe otherwise. Somehow, her safe, stable little world didn't seem so safe and stable any more.

"Are you speaking from personal experience, Reeve?" Yuffie shot at the young man with a hint of anger.

Reeve turned to the young woman with a look of pleading in his eyes, "No, Yuffie. That was different. I had no choice. They would have killed me otherwise. In fact, if it wasn't for me, the guards would have probably killed Marlene once they didn't need her any more," he stopped talking when he noticed that the color had drained out of Tifa's face. The young man coughed, embarrassed at what he had just said.

Yuffie sighed and sat upright in the chair she occupied, "Right, of course. Sorry, Reeve. I didn't mean to......you know......"

"No, it's okay," Reeve said. He turned back to Tifa, "So what will you do? I hate to be the one to say this, but you and Marlene aren't safe here anymore. I know for a fact that you can hold your own against any one of the Turks, Tifa, but if they decide to storm the house, there's nothing you can do to protect yourself or Marlene."

"I know, I know," Tifa said as panic began to well up in her mind; she banished the feeling and continued, "Look, I guess Marlene and I will just have to move. I mean, Midgar is a big place. The Turks can't be everywhere, can they?"

Reeve shot her a concerned glance, "Come on, Tifa. We both know that you don't really believe that. No matter where you go in this city, the Turks will find you. It's only a matter of time"

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Yuffie interjected excitedly, "Why don't we take Marlene with us to look for Materia? Huh? It'll be fun! We can show her everything the world has to offer!"

Tifa shook her head immediately, "No, it will be far too dangerous. I would sooner turn myself over to the Turks than place Marlene in any danger."

"Well, maybe she can stay with me," Reeve suggested, "I live in Main Tower in the center of the city along with all of the other presidential advisors. There's security there like you wouldn't believe. I have no doubt that the Turks won't be able to reach her there. That'll leave you two to go out and embark on your Materia hunt."

Tifa sighed and picked at a loose thread on the couch cushion, "I appreciate the offer, Reeve, but I couldn't ask you to do anything like that. Besides, you know I would worry about her every day that I was away from her."

Reeve unconsciously held up his hands in a defensive gesture, his sparkly nails shining in the firelight, "It's okay, Tifa. I was willing to look after Marlene while you were gone anyway, so why would I change my mind now? Besides, now I won't have to pack all my stuff and move in to your house; I can just take her back to mine. I assure you that she will be one-hundred percent safe. I can easily pull a few strings here and there to get extra security put into place around my house and Marlene will never even know about it. And you've always got your cell phone, right? You two can call and talk whenever you want to.

"Besides, I think it would actually do you some good to get out of the city for a while. You always were such a free spirit, Tifa, and when I heard that you had settled down and bought a house, I was shocked, frankly. Staying here and worrying about your life just doesn't sound like something you would do. Leaving the confines of this city will be infinitely beneficial to you, I assure you. What do you think, Tifa?" the young man concluded.

Tifa glanced at him and smiled slightly; he had a good point, and she knew she could trust him to ensure Marlene's well-being. The new president's concern for security was legendary, and she had no doubt that Reeve's assurances of Marlene's safety were accurate. And he was right: she could call whenever she wanted to check up on the little girl.

And yet, she still felt a pang of guilt for even entertaining the thought. Cloud had placed the responsibility of caring for Marlene squarely on her shoulders, and she felt like she was cheating by giving that responsibility to somebody else. What would Cloud and the others think of all this? She certainly couldn't hide any of this from them; they would find out about it eventually. Was she really doing the right thing? Was this truly the best course of action to take?

No, I need to stop worrying about Cloud, Tifa reminded herself, I can make this decision for myself. If I stay here, Marlene's life is in jeopardy. And it's not like I'm handing her over to some stranger to watch over or anything; if she is placed in the supervision of Reeve, not only will she be safe and secure, but she will be in the care of someone who is familiar and trusted.

The situation seemed win-win. Why, then, was she still apprehensive?

In a sudden moment of certainty, Tifa cleared her mind of all negative thoughts and focused solely on the pragmatic aspects of her situation. It would be foolish not to accept Reeve's offer. She answered the young man, "Yes, Reeve, you're right. You......are right. I can trust you with my life, and with Marlene's. I have absolute certainty in your ability to watch over her."

"So......that means......" Yuffie spoke up excitedly.

Tifa nodded, "I'll come with you to search for Materia while Reeve watches after Marlene back at Main Tower."

Yuffie jumped up from her seat in excitement, "All riiiiiight! The Materia Hunters are back in business!"

Tifa went to stand up, but was immediately engulfed in a monstrous bear hug by the delighted ninja. Tifa tried to extricate herself from her friend's grip, but Yuffie, oblivious to the former fighter's efforts, just continued to giggle and express her happiness, "Oh, you won't regret this decision, Tiff! It'll be just like old times! We'll scour the world, collect Materia, and save the planet from certain destruction once again! Just you and me, pal! Materia Hunters all the way!"

"Yes......sounds like fun......" Tifa gasped as she escaped from her friend's death grip. We'll leave first thing tomorrow, okay?"

"Yup, sounds good," Yuffie agreed as she pranced over to the fireplace and pulled Reeve up out of his chair by his bright fingers, "Get up, man! It's time to celebrate! You're gonna be a daddy for the next few months!"

Tifa smiled as she watched the unassuming Reeve try to fend off the persistent ninja. She spoke up, "Listen, you two. I'm going to go tell Marlene everything, and after that she's going to bed, so be quiet. She has a big day ahead of her tomorrow and I'd like her to get enough sleep."

"Righto," Yuffie saluted with one hand while her other arm was wrapped around Reeve's shoulders, "We've all got a big day tomorrow, it seems."

Tifa just nodded as she left the room. Indeed, they all did have a big day ahead of them tomorrow. For better or for worse, their lives were about to change dramatically.