Tifa and Cecil

Cecil let Tifa lead the way, looking at the area around them and wondering how Tifa had been able to fit into such a dump. Of course, this was a place from her past. The dark leather she wore and her long beautiful hair were signs that she wasn't living in a dump these days. But the red ribbon tied to one arm. He wasn't sure what that ribbon was supposed to mean.

"So what is this place? You don't seem to fit in here?" His question was met with a slight chuckle and then Tifa turned to smile at him while walking backwards. She was sure footed and didn't stumble once. He could help but smile.

"This isn't where I was born. I suppose it is where fate brought me. I grew up in a small mountain village. But it was burned to the ground and most of the people there died. I came here looking for **** and ended up being part of AVALANCHE. We claimed that our fight was to save the planet, but the truth was.... We were all out for ****. Even the first incarnation of AVALANCHE wasn't really the best of people. The scientist behind the group tried to use an ancient summon to take over the world. Barret and I wanted **** for different reasons, and Cloud was too busy lost in false memories to know what he was really fighting for. I think only those three back at the bar were really fighting for the planet."

"So how did it end?"

"You mean did we stop Shinra? Not even close. Shinra found out where our base was and launched an attack. Their plan was to drop the plate on the slums here. Me and Cloud were both in Sector Six when the fighting started. Barret, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie fought to keep Shinra from blowing up the pillar. When we arrived... Wedge was shot. he fell from near the top of the pillar and was able to say his last words to us before he died. We found both Biggs and Jessie, dying from their injuries. Barret was alone, fighting at the top. We joined him and did everything we could, but it was useless. The plate fell and we barely escaped. We landed in Sector six, but the plate had killed everyone in the slums of sector seven and many of the people who lived on the plate were dead or injured as well. In the end, it was Sephiroth and the Weapons that destroyed Shinra. We in turn Destroyed Sephiroth... It was while fighting Sephiroth that we really started to fight for the planet. Knowing what he was going to do... In a way, it made us rise up to be who we were pretending to be. How about you?"

Tifa had stopped walking and was now watching him with interest. He wasn't sure how to feel about her story. Those three friendly people that had offered them help and shelter were supposed to die in her timeline. Could they be saved now that Chaos had ripped up time? He wanted to hope so. These were good people.

"I was a dark knight. I fought for my king and killed innocent people. But I questioned it. It didn't feel right to me. I was cast out and the king tried to have me killed. I fought back and gathered allies from other countries. We ended up uncovering that my King had been killed and replaced by a monster that had taken his form. We killed the monster and followed the trail of the real mastermind. In the end, we traveled to the moon and fought a great battle for the fate of the world. When it ended, I was made king of Baron while three of my friends returned to rule their own lands. Our group separated and began living normal lives. We had more battles later, with more allies at our sides, but I had already proven myself by then."

Tifa looked him up and down, his platinum blonde hair and shining armor. Her lips quirked into a smile and she cocked her head to one side.

"You don't look like a dark knight to me."

"No, I was a dark knight. I gave up the darkness inside of me to become a paladin. I gave up darkness for light."

"Light looks good on you," she said with a playful laugh before turning and heading into a store. Cecil had been caught off guard by that. Didn't she say she was living with someone? Cloud, wasn't it? It had almost sounded like she was flirting. He was surprisingly happy about it, but he did have a wife and son back home. He had to stop Chaos and get back to them. Tifa wouldn't be with him when they were returned to their worlds. Better not to give in to that temptation right?

He sighed and shook his head before following her into the store.