We are not frightened anymore,

We stood up, we stood up.

…We can blame a change of mind,

A seismic shift in times.

They told us not to fight,

But we'll fight it 'till we die.

A Fine Frenzy, Stood Up.

"Shouldn't we do something more? It can't be healthy living in a coffin-like that," I say, between heavy breaths.

The air is stale and dusty and I'm trying hard to keep the debris out of my lungs—though the speed we're moving at and the frequency of our encounters with monsters isn't helping much. We're practically running out of the Shinra mansion by this point, quickly jogging up the dark, damp, spiral staircase. Lucky for us, the old generator out back still runs for some unknown reason, so the mansion isn't completely consumed with darkness.

It's just Cloud and me. The rest of the group is resting at the motel for the evening. Cloud, however, couldn't leave the mansion alone and needed one more go at it before we move on to Mount Nibel in the morning.

"Sorry, Tifa. You can't save everyone. Sometimes people don't want to be saved," Cloud says to me as if it's a profound revelation.

"Look," I say while grabbing ahold of his bicep. It's almost impossible to get him to pay attention to anything other than his single-minded desire to find Sephiroth.

"'Look' what, Tifa?" he asks as I pull my hand back and take a moment as I try to think of the right words.

I crack my knuckles before speaking—a nervous habit. "Look, we didn't even really do anything to help him. All we did was try and guilt him into a fight that isn't his."

"Isn't his?" Cloud halts his step suddenly and I trip over myself to keep from falling into his chest. Stopping directly in front of me, he looks less than impressed. Apparently, I have his attention now.

"Teef, the guy admitted to pretty much aiding Hojo in his Sephiroth experiment."

"No," I correct, annoyed that the man's words were twisted inside of Cloud's mind. Honestly, did you hear what he said?

"He said he couldn't stop it from happening, not that he did it."

"Same thing, Tifa."

"Right, and us blowing up a reactor and Shinra blowing up the plate support for the slums is the same thing, too. Isn't it?"

His face crunches up like it always does when he's confronted with a truth he'd rather not think about. It's happening more and more. The longer we stay in this broken town, the more we find out, the more it happens.

"We're the good guys, Tifa," he says as if that alone makes it right. As if that alone makes it true.

"And maybe, so is he. The least we could have done was get his name," I add as an after-thought.

"What does it matter? It's just one more name on the list of people we've come across and left behind. You know, probably better than anyone, just how important it is to stop Sephiroth—how important it is to stop Shinra. We need to stop them from hurting more people like they hurt us."

It's a low-blow to bring up the old Nibelheim like that. As if I can't see what Shinra's done to this town. They stamped out the past, erased the horrors, the deaths, and made it all go away—just like always. It's not subtle, but he's never been like that. He might as well have just said what he was really thinking, that the man in the coffin probably isn't useful to our cause, so why worry about him?

"You don't need to question my resolve, Cloud. I lost a parent that day, too," I reply tartly, though I feel uncharitable about being cross with him. I know, things with Cloud are... complicated.

That day…do you really remember it, Cloud? Because what you seem to think and what I actually remember…Our stories just don't add up.

But I keep silent. I'm doing more and more of that, these days. Keeping silent, keeping still, keeping the peace, and hiding the truth, but what is the truth anymore? For me, the truth is I lost almost everything here once and I'm not looking for a repeat performance. This man in the coffin seems like he lost everything here once, too.

The difference is, I got a second chance at a new life. My sensei…my friends in Midgar…Cloud. I was given a second chance by people who cared. Did this man have a second chance? Are we it? Or am I just trying to save someone else in place of the others I couldn't?

…Jessie…Biggs...Wedge…Dad… I shiver at the memory of them, at the memory of their loss.

"I know, Teef. I know…" he loosely wraps his arm around me, half-pulling me through the dilapidated kitchen, towards the stairs, before adding, "Some people are just more lost than others."

I look at him sharply. I wonder if he knows how that sounds coming from him.

Maybe I should let this one go…I have enough to deal with here…With Cloud, I think to myself.

But somehow, I just can't let it go. The haunting words of a broken man cycle through my mind on repeat, shattering my already broken heart.

I couldn't stop her…the one I loved most…faced the worst…Beautiful Lucrecia…Sephiroth's mother…That is my sin… He looked lost, and maybe he wasn't trying to find a new path forward, but who would I be if I didn't even try to give him the help that I once received? Could I forgive myself for that sin?

What do you have to atone for, Tifa? I wonder to myself.

Earlier I'd stood there, watching him as he replaced the lid to his coffin. He closed us out and closed himself in his self-imposed atonement. Watched as he slipped into self-imposed prison, and I'd done nothing. In fact, I had the gall to feel a little miffed as I watched him reject us. I mean, here we are, practically hand-delivering him his revenge, offering up the chance to eliminate one crazed scientist who has this amazing ability to pop up no matter where we find ourselves. And he did nothing.

He told us to leave.

Slid the lid shut.

Closed us out.

What's wrong with him? I'd thought. Are we not good enough to join up with? Pasty asshole.

As if he somehow owed us something for the invitation.

And I just couldn't let it go. For some reason, I'd fought for this sad, haunted man, and tried to convince Cloud to go back and give it another chance. Even now, I can't get him out of my head. It's funny, this evening had started so differently. Cloud asked me—me, not anyone else, to come out into the town with him. Here I thought that he and I would have the opportunity to reminisce, to get closer…maybe even have a chance to figure out what exactly is going on inside of that head of his.

But no, it wasn't a romantic interlude or even a nostalgic, hometown rediscovery, it was, "You remember the old mansion, right Tifa? I don't want to risk anyone else getting hurt. Sometimes, they just don't know what they're getting themselves into. And, besides, you have experience fighting."

Right. Fine. Great.

So, what you really mean is that you didn't want to risk Aerith getting hurt because you don't want her to have to sully that good girl glamor—to protect her in a way that she's never asked for or needed. But Tifa, well, she's not quite the good girl, is she? Too rough around the edges for that, too tough, too opinionated—too much. And yet, still never quite enough. And it's not even Aerith's fault and I know I'm being uncharitable. Life's not been easy for any of us and there's a hardness in her that Cloud doesn't see, but I recognize. She's a diamond after years of being crushed coal.

So, Cloud and I went there and back again. Back to the hotel, to the group, to the chummy atmosphere, to the giggles—despite what we're facing, what we've faced.

Usually, I can handle it. Hell, sometimes I even join in, but not tonight. 'Tifa's Aerith' and 'Cloud's Aerith' are two separate people in my mind and he's returning to that softness, while I'm called back to visions in the dark.

And so, here I am. Again. Right back at the gates of the Shinra mansion. Maybe Cloud is right, and some people can't be saved, but maybe I should try anyway. I kick the gravel that lines the walkway and decide to follow my gut. No, not everyone can be saved, but everyone deserves a second chance.

Cloud…he's almost possessed with his desire to find and destroy Sephiroth. There's something unnatural about it. Something inside him is rejecting and ignoring the sacrifices that we've made and will have to make to achieve our goal. It's almost as if the only thing that's important anymore is whether we find and kill Sephiroth. I know we need to end it to keep the planet safe, but Cloud's memories and feelings just don't add up and I can't help but feel like Cloud is going to crash and burn before this is all said and done.

I purposefully make my way towards the entrance and slip quickly through the door and the rickety lobby. I figure if I can just blast on in as quickly as possible, the fewer monsters that are likely to jump me, right? Right. And it's going pretty good if I don't say so myself. I almost make it halfway through the exit at the bottom of the stairs to the basement before they strike—Vampire Bats, and lots of them.

Beady, fucking, little things. They really give me the creeps, but it's nothing that I haven't handled before. In fact, as children in Nibelheim, when truth or dare was played, there was always a dare that involved grabbing something from the old Shinra mansion and then getting out. I'm lucky Zangan was always a strict karate sensei, so I never had much to worry about when it came to self-defense, and I was one of his star students.

No, the only issue with the monsters inside of the mansion now was their tendency to attack in packs…as they had currently decided to do with me.

Funny, I think between rapid kata combos. I wonder if the man in the coffin has been here this entire time.

People always made up stories about a man who haunted the Shinra mansion, but that goes without saying for any old building. Maybe the local kids were closer to the truth than they realized.

I'm a pretty grounded fighter, that is, I'm solid when it comes to the battlefield. I'm not one for a lot of flair, aside from when things get hairy, but I find that keeping that ease of mobility and a fluid range of motion does wonder for my success rate. So, I'm holding my own pretty well, that is until one of the little flying shits decides to take a kamikaze dive towards my head—fangs out and ready to leave a nasty mark on my face.

I brace myself for the inevitably painful impact, but the boom of a shotgun blast blows the bat straight out of the air and the thing lands dead at my feet.

"I was certain I told you and your friend to leave," is all my savior says.

I stare over at him, a little dumbfounded.

Maybe he really is just an asshole wallowing in self-pity, I consider, but I ignore his sour attitude and decide to rein my assumptions in, instead leading with, "Uh, thanks for having my back on that one. I'm Tifa, by the way."

He just stares at me, almost as if he's supremely offended that I've had the gall to return when he clearly told us to leave. He glares but says nothing before turning to walk down the hallway, back towards the coffin room.

"Hey!" I yell to his back.

He stops and stares at me again, and it's kind of intense. I lose my train of thought rather quickly under that dark look.

What strange eyes…are they red? How expressive…

He clears his throat to regain my attention. "Yes?" he asks impatiently like he has somewhere important to be that isn't a coffin in a dingy basement.

"Oh…" I manage. "Oh! Right…So, you do leave the coffin then…?" I ask, genuinely curious.

He raises an eyebrow at me, so far up that it reaches into his bandana. "Only when little girls come looking for trouble they can't handle on their own," his deep voice rasps as if he's still not quite used to having to talk in full sentences or at all. He starts to make his way back towards the room again before I can reply.

"Well, I would have been fine. I didn't really need your help. It was just more convenient for you to shoot it than for me to take a bat to the head."

"Indeed," he says over his shoulder. "Perhaps next time I'll leave you to your own devices."

"Hey…Hey!" I say while jogging up alongside him. "Do you always walk away in the middle of conversations?"

He stops and turns to face me then, gaze sharp. "Do you always barge in where you're not wanted to talk to strange men who sleep in coffins… Tifa?"

My name, he draws it out on his lips. His breath catches on the syllables, turning it into something dark…and yet strangely alluring.

Oh…Oh shit. Yeah, I didn't think this one through, did I? I mean, what do I know about this guy, other than the fact that he used to work for Shinra… our enemy? Great. Brilliant. Way to go, Tifa. Jumping in headfirst is a good way to get yourself killed, and I know this! But I just couldn't let go of that niggling feeling in my stomach that said to... I don't know, give a shit? Why is it always so impossible for me to just not give a shit?

Won't show him I'm concerned…Won't show him I'm getting scared…He's probably just being a bully to get me to leave, anyways, I rationalize to myself.

I rise up tall, in all of my five-foot-four glory, and stare him right in the eyes, all the while thinking, They'll put on my tombstone: Here lies Tifa Lockhart: she wasn't too smart, but she went down fighting!

"I lived and breathed this town as a child, Shinra Mansion included. You can't scare me," I say it sharply, almost as if it's completely true.

He looks puzzled, and he stares off, almost as if he's remembering something, but in a flash it's gone, replaced by something that's decidedly harder, and more sinister.

"Is that so?" he says while invading my personal space.

I can smell him now, the scent that's flowing off the fabric he hides behind—it's musty, old, almost as if he's absorbed the characteristics of the mansion he's come to belong to.

Judging by that smell, I think, in between trying to break into a strong defensive pose, he's been here for quite some time.

And then there it is again, the emotions that seem to radiate from him strongly, without words. Intense feelings of sadness, regret, guilt, of kinship almost. It reminds me of my complicated feelings and, suddenly, I can understand why he'd feel the need to hide from the horrors of the world around him— the horrors that he watched happen, that he did nothing to stop. But before I can entertain the thought further he's got me pressed into the cave-like walls of the basement.

He's fast…strong…and I'm in trouble, I think as I swallow around my fear.

I notice his gauntlet now, out of the corner of my eye. It's shiny and sharp looking. He must have had it hidden behind his cape before.

Super observational skills, Tifa, I berate myself as his hands firmly land on my shoulders.

His hands are strong, and he has a firmer grip than I can break out of. It feels almost like someone who's touch-starved reinstating that human connection, but the look he gives me is anything but human. It's almost as if a monster is looking out at me from behind those dark eyes, and one that's only being held in check by some thin threads of humanity. Looks like our little group of misfits isn't the only ones who came away from the Shinra experience with scars.

"Little Tifa…" he almost growls while leaning into me. His dark hair brushes against my cheek as he continues, "perhaps you do have reason to fear…"

His face is alongside mine now. I can almost see inside the cowl he hides behind. I can feel his breath tickle the hairs on my neck…

I've been intimidated before, threatened, but there's only one time before that I've believed it. Only one time where I knew I was out of my league and that my life was being held in the balance. Sephiroth lived and died with this town. He took my father with him, and almost took me. Looking at this man, those old feelings of helplessness and terror begin to resurface anew before I can stop them.

I need to take control, so I try for bravado. I'm not willing to finish this experience with more scars and heartache. "Oh, yeah? Fear what? Some ghostly, dusty relic of the Shinra Mansion basement?"

My reply seems to startle him as he goes very still against me, hands frozen against my shoulders, breath caught in his lungs. And then the tension releases and I can feel him laugh softly against my neck before he pulls back. Judging from the crinkles beside his eyes, I'd guess he's almost smiling, though his cowl hides most of his face. The ferocious, monstrous look is gone now, replaced with one that almost seems like resignation. Whatever demon he was grappling with apparently had retreated into the dark depths of his mind.

He gives me my space back, apparently deciding that I can't be frightened away. No, no. I'm much too stubborn to ever give up.

"What do you want?" he almost sighs.

Here's my chance; I have his full attention now. Better make it count.

"Does it go away?" I say softly, though I'm not able to match his gaze, embarrassed by his full attention and for coming back into his personal space when he'd warned us off, apparently, with good reason.

"Does what go away?" he asks as his hands slip from my body before retreating further back into the darkness of the hallway.

"The guilt. Does this 'atonement' make it go away?"

Now he's the one who can't meet my gaze. He seems uncomfortable with the question, but decides to humor me with an answer, "No."

"And us coming here will make it worse for you? The guilt, I mean." I pop the knuckles of my thumbs nervously as I wait for his reply.

"It is entirely probable."

"What if you could help us? I mean, a former Turk has to have some useful inside knowledge, and you have personal experience with Hojo. We could work towards a common goal?" I suggest hopefully.

"I still don't understand," he replies quietly.

"What is there to understand? You come with us, help us fight, save the world, atone, and Bob's your uncle-everything works out?" I shrug at him, not completely following what he's asking me here.

"No, not that. Why do you care, why did you come back to this cursed place?"

Shit. I'd kind of hoped that he'd just be dazzled by my wit and dedication to the cause, and feel compelled to join us. My personal reasons are much more…well, personal!

I duck my head and softly scuff my boots into the dirty ground before admitting, "I need to believe that it's possible to atone for the sins we commit."

I look up again and catch his gaze, it seems incredulous. "What could someone as young as you have to atone for?"

I give him a half-grin. "More than you could know, but keeping silent seems to come to my mind most frequently, that and all the lives that have been lost as a result of my actions... and inaction."

He looks at me, almost as if seeing me, truly seeing me and not the girl in the miniskirt and the short shirt, for the first time.

"Perhaps I am not alone in my guilt," he seems to consider.

"The only time we're alone," I say quietly, "is when we chose to be."

He's quiet for long moments, and I start to think he's lost his patience with me as he replies, " I am not certain I believe that." His unnerving eyes slowly turn towards the end of the hallway, towards the room with the coffins.

"Give us a chance to prove it to you," I suggest. I have to win him over. I have to believe that anyone can start again and work towards something good—despite the bad they've experienced.

Despite the bad they've done.

Something flashes in his eyes, something bright and meaningful, and a small bubble of hope begins to build within my heart.

"Will we meet with Hojo?" he asks.

"Well, we're chasing Sephiroth and him, so I am sure that sooner or later…"

He nods sharply and takes a step towards the stairs. "I've decided to go with you and your group."

I stare at him blankly, almost as if I can't quite understand the words that just came out of his mouth.

"Wow…that was rather abrupt," I accidentally say out loud.

He raises his eyebrow at me again.

Blushing furiously I add, "Well, it was! You were all 'Mr. Dark and Moody and get out of my housey'…erm…what is your name, by the way…" I trail off, obviously failing to impress and babbling to fill the awkward silence.

"Vincent. I suppose we should be leaving," he suggests, ignoring my previous comments and embarrassment.

I huff to myself before stepping away from the wall and start walking towards the stairs, leading the way. He's so silent behind me that I find myself feeling the need to turn around and see if he's still following. Deciding I've had enough of the dead silence, I try to engage in some light conversation, "So…why a coffin? Are you a vampire or something?"

He seems to choke a little at the comment, though I'm thinking it's a pretty damn valid thing to ask. Why else would anyone want to sleep in a coffin?

"Are you going to be this chatty the entire time I am with you and your group?" he asks, low voice curling around the words with what I'm beginning to realize is annoyance.

I swivel my head to the side and carefully guide myself half-backward up the stairs so I can look at him in the eyes with my best glare. "Well, excuse me for trying to get to know you. Are you going to avoid answering all my questions the entire time you are with our group?" I say while expertly maneuvering myself upwards.

"Only if they continue to be ridiculous questions," he says.

"The only thing that's ridiculous here is the man who thought that sleeping in a coffin would absolve him of his sins. Instead of, you know, going out and doing something about his problems," I say before I can catch myself, stopping abruptly on at the top of the stairs as the horror settles in.

Oh, gods…Word vomit…just kept coming out- please don't eat me, please don't eat me pleasedon'teatme.

I slowly tip my head back and look into his eyes, the fear evident on my face, but instead of the monster look I'm expecting, he almost looks…ashamed. And now I feel terrible and compelled to make it right.

I step down a stair so I'm at his eye-level. "Look, Vincent…I didn't mean for that to all come out. It was wrong and I'm really in no position to judge how anyone deals with their grief, especially concerning Shinra. And I tend to be nosey in my pursuit to make everything and everyone happy, so please accept my apology," I say, extending my hand.

At first, he looks at it like he's not quite sure what to do with it or like he's surprised I've made the effort to initiate bodily contact to show my remorse.

But then he extends his own and our hands meet. And his hand…it's surprisingly warm and firm against my own. He gives me a nice, proper handshake.

Aha! Too warm to be a vampire! I unashamedly think to myself.

"It has been some time since I have been in the company of others…" he says as we make our way out of the staircase and into the kitchen, almost as if he's apologizing for his peculiarities.

"Oh, really? How long is that?" I say while dusting some errant cobwebs from my skirt.

Gods. Creepy, dirty, dusty, old mansion, I gripe to myself.

"The better part of twenty years…" he admits.

"Whoa…you've been down there for almost longer than I've been alive…" I marvel to myself. "And no one thought to check for you until now?" I say, disbelieving.

"No," he replies stiffly.

"Oh," I say while avoiding a broken board in the floor. "Well, don't worry about it. Barret's constantly around people and he still inventing new ways to offend, so I'm sure you'll fit in just fine."

"A load off my shoulders, to be sure," he remarks dryly and I turn towards him with a big grin.

"Oh my, only five minutes out and already a joke. I think this will work out just fine, Vinnie."

"Vincent. Vincent Valentine," he corrects me, apparently not that chummy—yet.

"Oh, well, do accept my humblest apologies, Mr. Valentine," I say, but I think I can see something close to a smile in his eyes.

I bounce a little as we're leaving the entrance and turn to walk backward, facing him again.

"Tifa Lockhart. Welcome to what remains of Avalance," I offer with a smile and a wink.

He nods slightly at me, as if in thanks, and I can't suppress the little hop in my step as we make our way towards the inn. Maybe we can't fix every mistake we've ever made, but we can do our best to keep them from happening again, and help each other through the messes.

Somehow, I can't help but think this is a huge step forward—for both Vincent and me.

Author's Notes: Thanks, as always, to the wonderful Fostersb for betaing! Just a little back story that I started- more to come eventually. Same universe as One Beat Away, just a little sooner. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing!

2020 update: Repost and refresh from 2011. Written pre-FFVIIr (and Crisis Core, iirc). Thanks for reading! Title of the fic taken from the song of the same name, as is quoted at the beginning of this story. Any mistakes are my own 😊 I'll get the second edited part up in the next few days.