A Fiend Attacks

Tifa smiled as she watched Cloud walk into the water. A part of her honestly hadn't expected her little speech to work. She expected Cloud to simply pout and cross his arms and not participate. A month ago, that probably would have been his reaction. But it wasn't a month ago anymore. So much had changed, some good some bad, but Tifa knew Cloud was getting better, more open. And now there he was about to come swimming. And for fun no less!

'Is it because I asked him?' Tifa's eyes widened. Her own question surprising her. It was more than that, right? It could not simply be that Cloud wanted to spend time with her as much as she wanted to with him, right? Tifa watched as Cloud got closer the water reaching his waist. She suddenly felt nervous. A wave crashed into her back pushing her closer to the Spiky Haired SOLDIER. She felt panic and swam backwards further out. She kept swimming until her feet no longer touched the ground and she was forced to kick her feet to stay above water. She saw Cloud suddenly stop. He looked at her confused. Did he realize she was swimming away from him?

"Stop it, Tifa." She whispered to herself. "Y-you want this. If Cloud is willing to be more open, then so should you!"

Tifa leaned forward and began swimming towards Cloud, to meet him halfway, but she didn't make it. Before her first stroke Tifa felt something tugging her backwards. She only had a moment to register the slimy sensation wrapped around her leg before she was pulled underwater by a great force.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked after seeing his childhood friend dive underwater in a somewhat unnatural fashion. He waited a few seconds, just to be sure. She didn't emerge. "TIFA!"

Cloud dove under the waves, the salt water blurred his vision for a moment, but when it cleared up, he saw exactly what has happened. A fiend had made its way to the beach. One with a rock-hard shell and slimy tentacles. A Shankhalopod. They were native to this area, but Shinra tech was supposed to keep them off the beach. It seemed like most things Shina it wasn't as foolproof as advertised. The fiend had grabbed Tifa from below the surface and now had her in its maw as it waited for her to run out of air. Massive tentacles wrapped around her body, her arms and legs uselessly pinned to her sides as the slimy appendages squeezed her tight. Despite this Tifa struggled fiercely but had no way to fight back.

Cloud was in a similar boat. His Buster Sword was back at the hotel, and he didn't have a stick or umbrella to fight with like there last beach trip. He was strong but his arms and legs weren't exactly deadly weapons like Tifa's. Almost immediately a plan formed in his head. Cloud couldn't fight the Shankhalopod barehanded, but he could help Tifa do it. He quickly swam over to his old friend, her eyes lighting up when she saw him approach. There was no doubt in her mind Cloud would save her. The Shankalopod clearly thought differently, flinging one of its free tentacles in the SOLDIER's direction, but Cloud expertly rolled out of the way of the incoming attack, even grabbing the tentacles and using it to boost himself forward.

Soon he was floating right in front of the ensnared Tifa. Her situation was worse than he imagined. The Shankalopod's tentacles had completely entrapment her, having snaked their way around her entire body even sneaking its way over her chest and between her legs. Cloud couldn't really say why but this especially irritated him.

He wasted no time. Cloud grabbed at the tentacles binding Tifa and used all his strength to try and yank them off her. They didn't budge. He tried again, this time loosening the tentacle a bit. However, at this point the Shankalopod had noticed the SOLDIER's efforts and struck back wrapping its spare tentacle around his waist, its suction cups sticking to his swim trunks as the fiend tried to pry Cloud off him. Cloud only gripped tighter. He saw Tifa's face starting to twitch. She ran out of air. For a moment Cloud though he might fail. That he might lose Tifa again. That was unacceptable. He gave the tentacle one last desperate pull. This time Tifa, despite starting to feel faint, helped. Flexing her arms until, with their powers combined, the fiend's grip was broken. Tifa's arms were freed.

The ghost of a smile grew on Cloud's face as Tifa balled her hands into fists and twisted her body to face the fiend. Years of intense training had honed her arms into deadly weapons and unlike Cloud's Buster sword she always had them on her. Tifa's punch connected with the Shankalopod's shell, the impact so hard a shockwave reverberated through the water. For a moment it looked as though nothing happening, the fiend neither moved nor appeared hurt. Cloud almost believing her attack had been ineffective. Almost. Suddenly a crack grew on the shell out from Tifa's fist. Then another. And Other. The cracks waiving their way around the shell, like vines on a tree. Then a second later, the Shankalopod was sent flying back, its tentacles ripped violently off the rebel's bodies, before disappearing into the depths. Now free our heroes immediately made for the surface their lungs screaming for air. They burst onto the surface opening their mouths wide to suck in as much oxygen as possible.

"Tifa!" Cloud yelled between breathes. "Are you ok."

Cloud turned and spotted his old friend bobbing in the water next to him. Her hair, having come untied, was sticking to her face.

"Never *cough* been better." Tifa joked, parting her hair so she could see. "Cloud you, you saved me."

"Of course I did." he said as he bobbed in the water beside her. "I always will."

The pair stayed still for a moment the only sound the ocean waves and sea breeze. One of those waves nearly knocked Tifa right into the young man. The pair flinched and immediately swam away to a distance they were comfortable with.

"I um ah," Cloud stuttered. "M-maybe we should head back to shore. In case any more fiends show up."

"R-right," Tifa laughed nervously. "We need to start prepping for the journey to the Golden Saucer anyway."

Cloud and Tifa began paddling their way back to shore, Cloud in front and Tifa right behind him. The ex-SOLDIER felt a little odd, however. Normally he would be happy to back on mission but at the moment he felt weirdly disappointed. He actually wanted to spend some time swimming with Tifa. Cloud's toes scratched against sand. They were almost to shore, so Cloud moved his body into an upright position, feeling the sand beneath his feet as he stood up. Looked like the beach trip was over.

"Aauuggghh," Tifa screamed from behind him. Cloud spun around entering a battle pose expecting a fight.

"What's wrong, another fiend?" Cloud said scanning the horizon for threats. However, he saw nothing. Not even Tifa. He was confused for a moment before glancing down and saw Tifa bent over. The water was up to her waist and she was leaned over, exposing her bare back.

Wait, bare back?

"C-C-Cloud?" Tifa stuttered as she looked up at him, her body starting to shiver as she spoke. Almost as though speaking words aloud was painful for her. "I-I think I lost something to that Shankalopod!"

Cloud's began to tense up his eye widened and his cheeks started to flush. "I-It took your top?"

Tifa looked up at him. Her face was bright red, and her eyes were full of terror. She opened her mouth, but nothing came first then she finally choked out the words as a whisper. "It's not it's not just my t-top."

Before Cloud could process exactly what she had just said a wave crashed on the shore, bringing down the water level where they were standing ever so slightly. Slightly enough to expose her lower back. The merc watched as two wide, bare hills were revealed by the receding waters. The SOLDIER nearly gasped. Tifa squealed, feeling the ocean breeze on her cheeks, and quickly sat down on the seabed fully submerging everything below the shoulders. Cloud's mouth hung open as he stared down at his childhood friend pressing her forearms against her chest an ashamed frown on her face.

"I'm sorry," Cloud said bashfully turning away from her. "Just hang tight, I'll get you something to cover up with."

"No wait!" Cloud only took a single step towards the beach before Tifa yelled out for him to stop. "Cloud you- your- T-the fiend it-"

Tifa's voice grew too quiet to hear before the end of each statement. Her face grew redder with each attempt. Cloud didn't understand. What was so much harder to say then telling him she had lost her entire swimsuit. Finally, Tifa got something out. It was only two words.

"Look down."

This time Cloud had an inkling of what Tifa meant. He just really hoped he was wrong. He slowly looked down, watching the current of water being pulled back to sea and crashing into his torso on the way. Cloud watched as tiny waves crashed against his pelvis, his tight V-line, his muscular upper thighs. It was an incredibly mundane thing but still Cloud instantly clocked that something was missing. His trunks.

"Gah!" Cloud grunted throwing his hands over his crotch before submerging himself much like Tifa had. Clouds mind raced with panic and confusion. Even in the worst of situations Cloud knew how to keep a cool head to view things from a military perspective enemy targets, strategic options and so forth. But now his composure was stripped from him just like his clothes. His cheeks reddened as he looked back at Tifa. She flinched slightly as though see Cloud so distraught. Seeing Tifa usually helped center Cloud but now it jiat made him more nervous, especially considering she was in the same.....state as him.

Tifa opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by some excited cheers from the changing rooms as a large crowd walked onto the beach. Cloud and Tifa at a relatively slow-period for the beach but now it was starting to bustle at the worst time. Cloud shuffled backwards till he was squatting in the water right beside Tifa. The two Avalanche membered gritted their teeth as their dreadful reality sank in fully. They were stuck in the water on a busy beach, completely naked!