Guided by Starlight Chapter 2
By Tifa Strife
Soon it was morning and the girl was up on her feet again. What new adventures would this day bring to her? Somehow during the night she had strayed from the direction she wished to be heading. Now she was to the south of her original course. The skies were blue and full of clouds. As she walked she stared up at them and closed her eyes wishing she were a bird flying among those clouds.
When she looked up she noticed there was a small town in front of her. What a strange little town this was. All over people were crouching in the dirt looking like they were digging things up.
"Hi there!" she said cheerily to the first person she saw.
The person seemed to be startled and at once jumped back with a little squeak.
"Miss..Miss Tifa! Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Strife." He said bowing to her. She gave him a puzzled look and then it hit her.
"What did you call me?"
"I know, I know I'm sorry. I forgot you just got married! What a lucky basturd. How is Cloud?"
"I don’t know what you're talking about. My name is Tifa?" she had to sit down. "I'm married?"
"Yes. You got married about a year ago to Cloud Strife. What's wrong with you, you can't remember that? And what are you doing all the way over here? Shouldn’t you be.." he stopped in the middle of the sentence. All the color in his face seemed to drain away as he stared at her in awe. "But you're.."
"What? Tell me what is the matter."
But just then he turned and started to run. The girl felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. She walked onward to the front of the village and maybe find some information on where she was. By the time she got there everyone had noticed her arrival and watched her walk uncomfortably to the center of town. Every time she tried approaching one of them they stepped away in fear. An angered and confused expression was on her face. She ran from the town in tears and didn't stop running until she saw the ocean, which wasn't very far.
She stood alone by the oceans crest watching the waves crash against each other and a longing took over all of her emotions.
"I don't want to be alone. Someone help me," another tear slid down her cream white face, "My name is Tifa? He said I was married to a Cloud something. I can't even remember that. My own wedding." She sat down and moved her fingers through the sand. Looking at them she did notice a ring on her hand. A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Someone does love me, and sure enough they're looking for me." She held her hand admiringly in front of her face and placed it on her heart. She sat there for hours until the sunset and those magnificent pinks and purples along with it glided over the horizon. Everything seems tranquil, everything peaceful. There was a place for her somewhere, and this was a test to see if she could get back to it.
She got up and knew that she couldn't just sleep out in the open like she did the other nights, it was just too risky and even more so because there were people near. She slept just outside the town behind someone's house. She had a sense of safety there and hoped no one would find her. Another day passed with no recollection of anything. New facts were learned but not accepted, yet. Tifa was her name, she knew that much. She was married to someone who she didn’t even know he looked like. Another thing was bothering her. Why had the people been so afraid of her? She hoped she hadn't done anything bad in the past to make them fear her so. Tifa closed her eyes and dreamt of embracing her faceless lover one-day.
***
Cloud was having another bad dream. He got up and dragged himself down the stairs to get a glass of water.
"Nightmares are for kids, Cloud. Snap out of it." He said to himself.
Every day for the week he was haunted by the ghostly visions of his love. He dreamt that she was alive somewhere, alone and cold. She had been crying in this dream and ran off somewhere. He woke up startled and couldn't remember the rest of the dream. He was now sitting down at the kitchen table where a grocery list was still lying there with her handwriting on it.
Cloud picked up the list and brought it to his nose. He sniffed it still smelling her fragrance faintly on it. He walked back upstairs and over to her dressing counter. There were bottles of perfume and makeup waiting for someone to use them, but no one would ever use them again. He picked up the bottle of perfume he gave her for their month anniversary. It was her favorite and she always wore it. Even at night when they slept in each other's arms he could smell it on her and felt like he was in heaven just being there with her. Even her side of the bed smelt like her. No matter how many times he washed his sheets the scent was always there, almost like it was saying, "Please don't forget me". But that could never happen. He now hated himself for trying to get rid of that scent in their bed.
He walked back over to the bed with the perfume bottle still in his hands. He sprayed the bed with it and her pillow. Climbing into bed now he looked over to her side and felt his eyes welling with tears. He took the pillow in his arms and hugged it making it a poor substitute, but it would have to do.
"How did I survive all those years without her. I was so alone," he closed his eyes and felt the tears sneak out despite the will to hide them, "Goodnight, Tifa. I love you." And he fell asleep.
***
Tifa had a dream. Her dream was much different from Cloud's though. It was complete darkness and only the sound heard was of her soft, dreamy breathing.
"Tifa, you must get off this island. If you stay here you can never find him." The voice said.
"Who?" she felt herself saying, eyes still closed, darkness all around.
"Him. Your husband." The voice said with more determination. Tifa did not respond to this. "A long journey is ahead of you if you decide you want to find your past. You must go through the town you were in before. It will pain you but pay no attention to them, whatever they say don't listen. Then go through the forest to the place where you woke up. From there follow the course to the end of the town. After that, follow the path there and you will find yourself somewhere completely different, another continent. I will guide you in time of worry. Follow your heart, Tifa Strife. You can make it, I know you will." The voice was getting weaker. "Go now, while everyone is still asleep. I believe in you Tifa." Then the voice was gone.
"Wait! Please don't leave me." Her whole body felt small in this world of darkness. "Please don’t go." She hugged herself and waited for the dream to be over.
She woke up moments later, or so it seemed, and did everything the person told her to do in the dream. She found herself walking through the forest. It emitted a light green glow in the sunlight and gave Tifa the feeling that many events had taken place here.
There was a voice coming from somewhere telling her to go on. A light misty vision of someone was ahead of her. To afraid to move on she watched as the person in front of her came closer and closer. It was only a few feet away when it looked to the sky and jumped up into the air. Tifa felt consumed in curiosity and hid behind a tree waiting for the person to return. Something about this girl was so familiar.
Then out of no where a man came from out of the sky along with the girl from before. There was also something tugging her heart for this man, as if she had known him at some time. Who is he? Blonde spiky hair, dark blue suit, long sword. Everything seemed as though they were all pieces of a puzzle, and it was up to her to put it all together.
The two misty figures talked for a while and then the girl ran off. The man tried to pursue her when another man came into the picture. He had long silver hair and was dressed completely in black. A sudden gust of anguish swept over Tifa as the man dressed in black ran after the girl, while the other man ran in place trying to get to them both. It was all so confusing, she the man in black made her feel isolation and a trapped feeling of fear inside her. She was afraid of him and had no idea why.
Soon after all three figures disappeared. Tifa then realized that the woman from before was the sweet lady in pink that took her flying through the air. Oh how silly it all seemed, but it felt to real to be fake. The other two men she had no clue who they were and didn’t think about it any longer. She had to move on, standing here would do her no good.
Tifa walked forward thinking about the whole situation over and over again until her mind was tired of thinking all together. Something had caught her eye in the distance. Something flashing and shiny. It also made something inside Tifa feel like she knew what it was and must have had to do something with it a long while ago. She ran over to it and looked it over. The moment she touched it, it let off a light glow and died out as soon as she put it down again. Tifa decided it might be of some use sometime and took it with her. But where would she put it? From her knuckles up, dark red gloves were wrapped around her hands tightly. In the gloves there were 4 slots for something to go into on each of the gloves making 8 little holes.
"Since I have no bags or pockets I might as well put it in here." To her surprise it fit perfectly and made her feel so strange.
"Cure, Tifa." Someone had said. "Say it."
Tifa was reluctant to say the word, "cure" to no one in the middle of the forest, but decided no one would hear her sound like an idiot.
"OK, fine. Cure!" she said. Suddenly a light green mist swept over her like a stream and made her feel like she got the eight hours of sleep she should have gotten and completely rejuvenated.
Then the voice said, "Say this whenever you feel tired and worn out, then you will recover and move on."
"Thank you." Tifa said and was on her way again.
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