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Her room is quiet.
It's so quiet.
Tifa's not even really sure where they are. She's been….she's been tired. Cid and Barrett and….and what's left of Cloud (whatever is happening with him) charted their flight path, and now they're somewhere up North. Somewhere cold where there's not a lot of people and it was easy to find rooms.
Tifa's room is so quiet.
Yuffie's….somewhere. She must have snuck out at some point to get some air, so Tifa's all alone in their shared room. Even though there's that big big part of her that knows she shouldn't be. Shouldn't be alone right now.
Tifa rarely even shares a room with Yuffie.
Her usual bunkmate is….she's not here. She's not here, and she's never gonna be here, and all Tifa wants to do is cry and scream and fight and cry and scream and fight. She wants to punch something, she wants to hug something, and she wants to scream her lungs out about WHY WHY WHY
All she does is grip the sheets in her fists just that little bit tighter.
She can't….she shouldn't make too much noise. She doesn't want to worry anyone. They have their own grief to deal with. Their own trauma.
Tifa doesn't want to scare them.
She can't sit like this forever though. On the edge of the bed, toes curling and uncurling in her boots, fingers gripping the sheets. She's sure her knuckles are white under the fabric of her gloves. Her hair is falling over her face and her gut feels like it's coiling in on itself and she's just so tired.
She should try to get some sleep.
She can't though.
She feels so grimy, filthy. She wishes that the room had a shower. With Yuffie out and it being a mystery when she'll be back, it would be, frankly, wonderful to sit under a nice warm stream and have a good cry. She'd feel a lot better doing it in the shower opposed to out in the open, curled up in her bed when Yuffie could walk in at any moment.
Yuffie doesn't need to see that. Not with what she's probably feeling.
But above all else, Tifa also really kinda wants to punch something.
She's done a lot of punching today - and every day the past couple months - but right now she really wants to punch something. She's not sure if she wants to punch something more than she wants to shower and cry, but they're both there, and really, isn't that the perfect encapsulation of how she's feeling.
It's just…there's nothing to punch. No gym, and she doesn't want to scare Yuffie by surprising her with several holes in the wall when she comes back.
She can do sit-ups though. That'll make her feel better.
The wood of the floor is cold and hard, and she winces from the soreness radiating through her muscles as she lays on her back. Her core is sore already, and she knows she'll probably regret this in the morning but….she'll feel better. She'll feel better.
She has to.
She manages to get five sit-ups in before she starts thinking about Aerith.
The piano catches Tifa by surprise.
It kinda just feels…out of place. A baby grand piano on the beach. In a fancy hotel, but a beach nonetheless.
Tifa can't help but be drawn to it. It's been so long since she played, and she's probably lost all of the natural talent that she once had - if she ever had any - but she's good with her hands so it's probably worth a shot.
She's pretty sure her cheeks are bright red as she slowly makes her way over. No one's really watching her - outside of the way people usually look at her - and she nervously rubs her elbow as she ducks her head, trying to avoid any form of eye contact. She doesn't want to chicken out, not after she's made up her mind.
The wood of the bench feels cool against the back of her thighs. She knows that she needs to find something better to wear, something more suited for the beach, but she's never been good at shopping. She has a mix of muscle and curves where she just feels awkward wearing most things, so she just sticks with what she knows. Tifa thinks she'll probably just do the same today, and ignore the confused looks she gets.
Even Tifa can admit that suspenders at the beach is a little weird.
She lets it drift from her mind as her fingers dance across the keys.
There's a piece of music already set up, and she remembers enough to know how to read it. It takes a second, but as she plays it, it just feels….something about it feels right. Like it was set here for her. Like this music is….it just feels like her. She's not sure where she heard it before, but she swears that she has. It's calming, and the worry that people are watching her just…..fades away.
She feels at peace.
She doesn't care if people are watching her, even though they probably are. She doesn't care about where they are, what they're doing, or what's happening with Cloud. She just feels….calm.
As soon as she plays through the piece, she flips back to the first page and starts all over again. She plays through it three times, that tension falling from her muscles - from deep within her bones - every time her fingers dance across the keys.
It can't last forever though. It can't.
When it ends, for the third and final time, she takes a breath, letting her head hang forward. Some of her hair is falling over her face, but her arms are slack, and she feels like she could fall over and pass out with no trouble at all.
Or she could, until she hears the sound of clapping. One person. Clapping.
It turns into a giggle at the way Tifa jumps in her seat and whips around.
"You scare easy," Aerith teases from where she's standing, right behind Tifa and conveniently out of view. She's swaying a bit on her feet, hands clasped behind her back like she usually stands, and not for the first time, Tifa's struck by just how unbelievably pretty Aerith is.
She finds herself thinking that a lot lately.
"You're really good," Aerith continues as she steps forward, one big clomp of her boots after another. Tifa finds her gaze falling to the floor, watching those boots. Those big black boots that are so at odds with the rest of Aerith's outfit but so….right, for who she is. Tough, even if she looks like the sweetest person alive. Not that she isn't sweet but….ugh even in her own head, Tifa's all scrambled.
She's scrambled even more by the raised eyebrow and smirk on Aerith's face when Tifa manages to get her gaze back up to eye level. "It's proper to look a lady in the eyes when you're talking to her," Aerith continues to tease, and now Tifa's sure she's as red as her arm-guards. "I know you know that."
She couples it with a quick glance at Tifa's chest which….now Tifa's even more scrambled. She gets the point Aerith is trying to make, but…ugh, she wishes she was better at this. More confident in herself, like Aerith is.
"I uh…." Tifa stammers. She turns back to the piano and runs her fingers over the keys, because that's a lot easier right now. It centers her. "Cloud mentioned the piano I used to have at home, in Nibelheim? Back when we were talking in Kalm?"
"Uh…yeah. Yeah I remember."
"Right," Tifa sighs. "It's been awhile since I played, but I just thought….old time's sake, you know?"
"How longs it been since you played?" Aerith questions. She's stepping closer, and there's a little smile on her face as she nudges Tifa's shoulder with her hip. The request is clear, and Tifa scoots over, giving Aerith enough space to join her.
"Um….since uh…since Nibelheim. So five years, probably?"
"Well, if you hadn't of told me, I wouldn't have known!" Aerith chirps, and Tifa finds herself going red all over again. "You're incredible. I can't even…I can't even read this stuff! It's a whole other language to me."
"It just takes practice. It's nothing too crazy. I could teach you if…."
"You need to learn how to take a compliment!" Aerith chastises, coupling it with another light bump of her hip. She giggles a second later and it's just…Aerith's so infectious, that Tifa can't help but giggle as well. "Could you play again? I really liked that song."
"Yeah, of course," Tifa smiles, ignoring the way that her heart is beating out of her chest. Or trying to, anyway. "I've never heard it before but I really like it."
Aerith just smiles, eyes flitting from Tifa's face to her fingers on the keys. "It reminds me of you. Calm. Patient. But tough."
Tifa has to audibly swallow to keep back the happy tears before she starts playing.
"You cannot go to the beach in suspenders!"
"I really don't mind," Tifa sighs as they walk down the strip, fingers flicking at her suspender straps, out of habit. "I have a hard time finding clothes anyway. It's just easier to stick with this."
"Nuh uh," Aerith shakes her head. Her hair flicks back and forth, and there's such confidence in her voice that Tifa just knows she's done for. "We'll find you something perfect! You deserve to be a beach babe!"
"Coming from you," Tifa grins, and she's delighted in the little dusting of pink on Aerith's cheeks. She knows she's just as red, if not redder, but she does her best to ignore it. "You probably have something already picked out."
"I might," Aerith grins, a little smirk on her face, and yep, Tifa's heart is beating fast all over again. "I think I saw something that could work for you too! I just don't know your cup size, and we wanna make sure you're comfortable. I already feel bad enough for your back!"
Tifa's working on her confidence, but she's decidedly not confident enough to have this conversation with Aerith about her chest.
"Is this your first time in Costa del Sol?" Tifa pivots. She knows it probably is - that it is for all of them - but it's not only a lot easier than talking about her cup size, but she, frankly, wants to know more about Aerith. There's something different about hearing it from her opposed to figuring it out for yourself. That, and Tifa just likes hearing Aerith's voice. It's soothing.
"Yep!" Aerith chirps. "It still feels so weird, being out of Midgard. Everything's so different,' She sighs. "I thought Midgard was the whole world. And now we've been to Kalm and Costa del Sol and….it feels so small, you know? I thought everywhere was like Midgard but…..it's the only place where you aren't able to see the sky."
"I know what you mean," Tifa sighs. "I have memories of Nibelheim, but I still kind of forgot, you know? You spend so much time in Midgard that you think everything's the same, but it's so beautiful out here. Everything's so…so vibrant."
Aerith smiles, and Tifa swears she brushes their fingers together. On purpose. "It really is."
Tifa's suddenly not sure if Aerith's talking about Kalm, or Costa del Sol. Or something else.
"So," she coughs, eyes flitting down to the ground, just for a second. "What' do you want to do after we get your outfit? We can walk the board walk, or maybe play one of the games, or…."
"Tifa! We have to catch some rays," Aerith sighs, coupling it with a light smack to Tifa's bicep. "All this walking and I'm still so pale."
"I don't know, I think you look good."
Aerith just rolls her eyes as she lightly smacks Tifa's side. "You're a flatterer. I wouldn't have guessed. And you get so red."
Tifa does her best to tamp down the blush that she knows is forming on her cheeks. She's not….she's not good with this kind of thing. People assume she is because of how she looks, but she's just…she's never been good with it. Especially not as good as Aerith, who does it so effortlessly.
It's not the first time that Tifa's wishes she was a little more like Aerith. A lot more like her, really.
It's mixed with the confusing feelings of sometimes wanting to kiss Aerith and she just….Tifa's not sure what any of it means. If she wants to kiss her or just to be her or….ugh. Things are hard enough right now as it is, she just doesn't need this on top of it.
"Whate'er you thinking about?"
Tifa's pulled out of her thoughts by the questioning look on Aerith's face, her brow furrowed slightly. Tifa's just…she's not sure how she does it. She looks concerned but she's not pressing, and there's just something about it that makes Tifa want to spill her guts.
She can't though. She just can't.
"It's nothing," Tifa waves it off. Judging by the raised eyebrow from Aerith, it's definitely not believed, but thankfully she isn't pressured. "Just thinking."
"You're always thinking," Aerith smiles. "You gotta let those thoughts out sooner or later. Otherwise you'll go stir crazy," she continues before quickly clapping her hands. "Here we are!"
It's a bigger stall than Tifa expected, a pretty redheaded lady out front. There's changing rooms in the back, the suits hanging up in front of them, and Tifa finds herself gripping her suspender straps just a little bit tighter. "Hi Aerith," The shop owner smiles, and Aerith just waves as they approach. "I set aside those outfits that we were talking about. This is your friend?"
"Yep!" Aerith giggles, and Tifa finds an arm around her shoulder before she's pressed into her friend's side. "Can we take one of the stalls?"
"They're both free," the shop owner offers, and Tifa just squirms as two sets of eyes are on her . "I can grab another bigger set too. In case the ones we looked at don't um….don't fit."
"Great! C'mon Tifa!"
You really don't have to do this," Tifa mutters as Aerith drags her back to the stalls. "These look expensive, and we should probably save the gil for…"
"Cloud won't mind," Aerith smirks, a little glint in her eye. "You know how he loves smashing those boxes and finding loot. It'll just make it more of a challenge for him!"
Tifa supposes she can't argue with that.
Tifa can hear Aerith chatting with the attendant as she stands in front of the mirror on the wall of the changing room. She's been in here for a little bit, trying on the bikini and now the jean shorts and top and she feels…it's a little weird. She can't remember the last time that she wore something that wasn't her usual outfit (Wall Market not withstanding) and it feels…nice. To wear something that's not utilitarian.
The bikini was nice, but pinched in ways that weren't all that comfortable - she was probably just a bit too big for it - so she thinks she's gonna go with this one. The jean shorts are pretty standard, but the top feels…it feels good. She feels good wearing it, and with a smile, she rolls the sleeves up to above the elbow and checks the knot just below her bust. Best to make it doesn't come undone.
With a breath,Tifa nods her head, picks up her usual clothes, and pulls back the curtain.
The look on Aerith's face as she turns around is….Tifa wishes she could bottle how it makes her feel. Wishes she could feel this feeling again whenever she's down in the dumps.
"Oh….." Aerith stammers, eyes wider than usual, and Tifa may preen, just a little. "You're so hot."
It's so blunt. Blunter than Aerith usually is.
"I uh…the bikini didn't quite fit and…" Tifa starts. She's not quite sure what to say, but she's not good with compliments, and she just needs to fill the air with something. "This feels better."
"It suits you," Aerith grins, wetting her lips just a little as she looks Tifa over again. "Oh my god, your abs. If I had those I wouldn't cover them up, like, ever. Next time we have to deal with those pesky Turks, we're gonna use those things as a distraction."
"Aerith…."
"Oh! I got you this while I was waiting," Aerith smiles, and for the first time Tifa notices the flowers between Aerith's fingertips. "Can I put this in your hair?"
Tifa doesn't know what to say, so she just nods.
Aerith bites the inside of her cheek as she steps forward, muttering a quiet "hold still" as she puts the flower in Tifa's hair, on her left side. She's so close, that Tifa can't help her eyes from falling to Aerith's lips, just for a second. She's so close and so pretty, and again Tifa can't decide if she wants to be Aerith or if she wants to be with her.
Instead, she just digs her fingertips into her palms. Tries to stop herself from doing or saying anything stupid.
"There! Do me?"
Aerith steps back, eyes wide as she holds out a second flower, and Tifa can't help but do as she's told. "I'm not…my fingers aren't' great with flowers. Or being gentle."
"That's okay," Aerith smiles as Tifa takes the flower, stepping closer, and reaching up to tuck it into Aerith's brown locks. "I'm great with flowers. We'll balance each other out."
Tifa can't help but believe her.
Aerith pays for their outfits with Cloud's money - "he owes us for saving his butt all the time " Aerith says - and they store their usual outfits at the stall to pick up when they're done at the beach. Tifa finds herself looking forward to catching some rays, leaning back and relaxing, letting some of the weight of the past couple days drain from her tired muscles.
Aerith looks even more gorgeous than usual, Tifa thinks, in her all pink outfit. The tiny little pink top with the cute frills at the shoulders coupled with the pink flowery sarong just….they just suit her, Tifa thinks. It feels like something that Aerith would wear, and the very concept that they're at a point where Tifa can see something and think 'that's so Aerith' makes her feel a warm fuzzy feeling. Deep inside.
There's eyes on them as they walk to the beach though. It's not all that different than how things usually are, but for some reason Tifa's feeling it even more. Not just because of her new outfit, but the idea that people are staring at Aerith and thinking things just makes her feel….it makes her pull Aerith a little bit closer into her side and flex her arm muscle just a little bit more. To tell them to back off.
If Aerith notices, she doesn't say anything.
They find a quiet little spot on the beach away from prying eyes, and for the moment, away from their friends. Which is nice. A break is nice.
Tifa loves them, she really does, but they've spent so long with each other that she doesn't mind a little break. She'll catch up with Cloud, Barrett, and Red later. Right now, she just wants to spend time with Aerith.
She doesn't think she could ever get enough Aerith.
"I really needed this," Aerith sighs, laid back as she stretches her arms overhead with a groan. "All that walking on dusty roads and riding on Chocobo's does not help your skin."
"This is probably the most sun I've ever gotten," Tifa muses as she leans back on her elbows, sitting up and kicking her feet a little. "Midgard is…you know, and Nibelheim was too close to the mountains to ever get sun like this."
"It's sad," Aerith agrees. "I don't understand why people want to blot out the sun with factories and smoke. I could never understand that."
Tifa bites her tongue.
She dealt with Shinra often enough to know how they value progress above all else. Even if it means other people never seeing the sun. Other generations never even knowing what it feels like .
"Maybe when this is all over, we can come back," Tifa offers. She's not quite sure she believes they'll have the chance but….it's a nice thought. Something to work towards, and to look forward to. When they both make it out of this. "Just the two of us. If you…if you want."
She can't help the nerves in her voice. It's a silly thought, and she has no reason to think that Aerith would be interested. She doesn't. But still, even through all that, she can't help but feel her breath catch as Aerith grabs her hand.
"I'd love to," Aerith smiles softly. There's something behind her eyes that's…that's almost sad, though. Tifa chalks it up to having to wait, or thinking there's a chance it's just a pipe dream. "Just us girls."
Tifa smiles softly. "Yeah. Just us girls."
It all goes to shit after that.
Hojo shows up, and as usual he's brought his robots, and there's plenty of fighting and punching before Hojo escapes. It's a lot, and definitely not how Tifa imagines they'd spend their time here. Still, they get through it with only a couple bruises. They couldn't have done it without Yuffie though.
Everyone goes back to Johnny's inn for a minute, but after everything's settled down, Tifa finds herself restless and making her way back to the beach.
She's not sure why, quite frankly. She's sore, and tired, and she could really do with icing her hands and lying down before getting a good night sleep.
Maybe it's because Aerith left shortly after they got there, and the pit that it created in Tifa's stomach.
It's quiet on the boardwalk when she gets there, at least for the most part. There's music playing from the hotel - likely from the piano - and a small party at the beach bar, but the actual beach itself is quiet.
Even with all that, it takes Tifa no time at all to find the figure sitting in the sand as the waves lap away at her feet.
It's easy to tell who it is, when she's wearing all that pretty pink.
"Hey," Tifa smiles as she steps forward, doing her best to move loud enough that Aerith shouldn't be surprised. "Can I join you?" She asks, but when Aerith doesn't respond straight away, Tifa feels like she's made a mistake. "No pressure! I can totally go and…"
"No, silly," Aerith shakes her head before she looks up, a small, sad smile on her face. "As long as you don't mind the sand."
"There's a shower at Johnny's," Tifa shrugs as she sits down, bringing her knees up to her chest as Aerith leans against her side. "I'll probably wait until everyone's asleep to use it. In case they need the water."
"Make sure Johnny's asleep so he doesn't try to sneak a peek. He has a crushhhhhh on you."
"I don't…" Tifa stammers, but the look from Aerith shuts her up. "Okay, fine," she laughs lightly. "He's harmless though. I don't think he'd ever do anything like that."
"I was just teasing," Aerith grins as she rests her head on Tifa's shoulder. "I think his eyes bugged out of his head when he saw you today. I don't blame him."
Tifa doesn't say anything, just squirms a little, and Aerith must pick up on it. "Was that too much?" She questions, and Tifa bites her bottom lip. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"It's not that," Tifa sighs. "I just don't….People say stuff sometimes but I've never….it's different, from you."
"Different how?"
"You're Aerith."
Aerith hums softly. She hums, and Tifa thinks that Aerith gets what she's trying to say. Tifa's never…she's never really had a romantic partner besides one night stands and she's learned that she very much does not like those. She's probably a bit stunted, romantically, and comments like that coming from someone that she has….complicated feelings about feels a heck of a lot different than some drunk old guy at Seventh Heaven.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Aerith continues. "I'd never try to make you uncomfortable."
"You're not," Tifa reassures. "Not in a…not in a bad way."
Aerith just giggles. "You're cute. All that big strong muscle and you're still so shy. You've had these out all day," Aerith continues with a poke into Tifa's abs that has her squirming, "and you still get all read when I say you're pretty."
Tifa doesn't say anything because she swears she's red enough to combust. Aerith doesn't say anything either though, so they just…they just sit. They just sit, Aerith pressed against Tifa's side, and they take in the moon, high in the sky over Costa del Sol.
"I was serious, you know," Tifa eventually cuts in. "About coming back, when this is all over. When Sephiroth's defeated and Cloud is…when he's okay."
Aerith tenses against her side, just a little. She tenses, and when she looks up at Tifa, there's a sadness behind her eyes that Tifa can't….that she can't quite understand. "I promised, didn't I? Just us girls."
"Aerith, are…"
"You think so much," Aerith chirps, but Tifa can tell the pep is forced. She avoids any questions though by poking Tifa in the forehead, making her eyes go crossed. "Don't think so much. Just…we have time, you know? That we'll be able to come back and stay in that big fancy hotel and have the best food and the best beds. They probably even have a big fancy gym for you to do your workouts."
"I can play you a song on the piano. I could teach you."
"We could tan and swim and play those silly boardwalk games. I bet we can beat all these fancy people who come here for their vacations."
"We can have those big fancy dinners, and then we can dance and we can ki….we can…" Tifa stops, eyes wide, realizing what she was about to say. She's so lost in it that she didn't….she didn't realize where her mind was going. "Aerith, I…."
"Shhh," Aerith says softly, fingers lightly running through the hair at the base of Tifa's neck. Just little strokes to calm her down, and Tifa can practically feel the stress leaving her body. "Later, okay? We can talk about it when we're back here. Later."
"Right," Tifa sights. "We'll have later."
"We will," Aerith agrees, but Tifa swears she hears Aerith's voice crack, a little bit of a sob sneaking out. "We'll talk about it later."
Tifa doesn't think anything of the voice crack. She doesn't think anything of a little sob.
She figures it's nothing. That Aerith is just feeling the same things Tifa is.
She doesn't think it's anything more than that.
It's not until the twentieth sit-up that Tifa realizes she's crying.
Her cheeks are stained with them, and a quick look down lets her know that the white of her tank top is stained with tiny droplets.
She doesn't want those to be there when Yuffie comes back. She needs to be…she needs to be strong for Yuffie. Yuffie, who probably isn't used to losing people. Not like Tifa is.
Her mother. Her father. Jessie. Biggs. Wedge. Aerith.
Maybe Cloud.
She doesn't….she's scared. What's happening to him is scaring Tifa. It's scaring her so much.
She just lost Aerith. She can't lose Cloud too.
She finishes her last sit-up before she gets to her feet, wincing a little at the pain that runs through her stomach. She's still feeling it from the fight with Sephiroth, and the impromptu workout probably only exacerbated it. It's fine though. She'll be okay. She has to be.
She's making her way over to her clothes bag in the corner when she hears the knock at the door.
Yuffie wouldn't be knocking, she doesn't think. Even with everything that's happened, and what she must be feeling, Yuffie isn't the type to knock. Definitely not at her own room.
"Just a second!" Tifa calls, quickly scrambling out of her top - she winces at the pain running through her gut - and tossing it hastily into her bag before she pulls out….she pulls out the top from Costa del Sol. The button up shirt that Aerith bought her.
As she puts it on - loose this time so it covers her entire torso - and buttons it up, she does her best not to cry.
"Tifa?" The voice from outside the door calls, and Tifa stops. It isn't Yuffie.
"Red?" Tifa calls - Nanaki, she reminds herself. It's Nanaki - before she opens the door. When she does she sees him there, curled in on himself in front of her door, and Tifa's heart breaks all over again. "Come in. Please."
"Thanks," Nanaki sniffles as he pads in, Tifa closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry, I bet you're….you're probably really tired."
"It's okay," Tifa smiles softly. She winces as she takes a seat on the floor, back pressed against the bed, and Nanaki quickly makes his way to her side, curling in on himself again. "Are you…"
"I….I couldn't sleep," he sniffles again. "And the others are…I didn't want to be alone."
Tifa gets it. She doesn't think she wants to be alone either, and the others are….Cid, Vincent, and Cait Sith didn't really know Aerith, not really. And Barrett did…Tifa loves him, dearly, but he's probably thinking about Marlene right now. Losing someone makes you think about losing other people too, and it's not hard to imagine who Barrett would think about.
That just leaves Cloud. Cloud, who is…..Cloud isn't Cloud, not right now. Nanaki must see that too.
"Yuffie went to get some air, I think. You can stay as long as you want."
"Thanks," Nanaki gets out, but it's cut off by another sob. "I can't believe she's gone."
Tifa's not going to be able to keep in her tears. She can just tell. So she doesn't even bother trying.
"She bought me this," she says, eyes flicking down to her shirt. "At Costa del Sol. We had a beach date."
Red's eyes flick up, and Tifa just shakes her head. "Not like that. Just a day out."
There's something gnawing at Tifa though, deep inside. Something that she needs to voice to someone. Anyone.
"I think….do you think she knew? That she wouldn't….that she wouldn't make it?" Tifa asks. Nanaki doesn't say anything, just curling into Tifa's side a bit more, and she brings an arm around him to pull him in, just a little bit tighter. "She made a promise that we would go back to Costa del Sol, after…everything. but I don't….she was sad, when she promised. Like she knew she couldn't keep it."
"I don't know," Red sighs, sniffling again. "I think she would've wanted to go with you. If she did know she would um….if she knew, I don't think she lied to be mean."
"I don't think that," Tifa sighs. "I don't know what I think. I just wish we had more time."
Tifa doesn't know what she thinks would have happened if she had more time. But she thinks that maybe, just maybe, there might have been….there might have been something. That maybe they would have taken their trip to Costa del Sol and….who knows?
She doesn't know if Aerith knew she was going to die. But right now, here, curled up with Red - Nanaki - pressed up against her side, both of them sniffling, Tifa doesn't think it really matters all that much, if she knew or not.
Instead she thinks that maybe, somewhere out there, somewhere in the Life stream, they did get to take that trip to Costa del Sol.
She thinks that maybe that version of Tifa and that version of Aerith had an incredible time. That they tanned and swam and played games together. That they ate fancy food and took in the sun, and that they walked down the boardwalk together. That version of Tifa probably to play a song for Aerith, and got to teach her how to play the piano. She hopes that version of Tifa and that version of Aerith got to dance on the beach together in the moonlight, and that maybe that version of Tifa was confident enough to - when Aerith was looking at her with wide, encouraging eyes - lean in for a kiss. That maybe that version of Aerith would have reciprocated.
Tifa hopes that version of herself is happy. That she's happy with Aerith, on their little trip in Costa del Sol.
Tifa hopes that's true.